


The Transporter

by alpha_libsx



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bad Touch, Brain Surgery, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Disabled Character, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Graphic Description, Groping, Hurt Bucky Barnes, Kidnapping, M/M, Medical Experimentation, Medical Procedures, Medical Trauma, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Panic, Panic Attacks, Past Torture, Protective Steve, Psychological Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-27
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-04-11 13:45:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4437782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alpha_libsx/pseuds/alpha_libsx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>People know that when you need to move something whatever that something might be, you call the transporter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Call

**Author's Note:**

> Keep in mind that the tags will be changing as the story goes along so read them first.  
> This is a transporter inspired au with the obligatory twists.

The familiar ringtone again disrupted the much enjoyable silence of the night. Steve cursed as he lifted himself from the couch to get the cellphone from the coffee table. Unknown caller, he read and picked it up.

“Am I talking with the transporter?” came in a female voice, very few people got to learn this number and the few that did know it, they knew exactly who he was and what he was doing.

“It’s you, isn’t it?” asked the voice again. 

“Place and time” He said and picked up the pad he had on the coffee table.

“Straight to business, I like you already” the woman said again and he suppressed the urge not to huff sarcastically back at her because yes he was into a shady line of business but come on it was two after midnight.

“Place and time, I won’t ask again” he retorted back at her, he didn’t like it when people started getting chatty, nine out of ten times it meant zero professionalism and that the work was going to go to hell.

“All right, tomorrow you pick up at eleven o’ clock in the morning right outside the bean café and you’ll be hearing from me to tell you what’s going to happen next” the woman said and something inside him screamed that this was going to go to hell.

“I don’t work like this, you tell me where I’m delivering the package right now or no deal” he retorted right back mastering all the authority in his voice that he could find this late at night.

“Twenty million unmarked untraceable to an account of your choice. Do you still want to remain loyal to the way you work?” the woman asked and ended the phone call.

He had about eight hours and forty minutes to think about it since it’d take him twenty minutes to get to the coffee shop for the pickup. The amount of money offered was really interesting but alarming as well. People would usually offer him about fifty thousand and the most desperate ones would get up to a million but this was new territory. He got up and walked over to the board he had on one side of his living room and started mapping out the possibilities.

Number one was drugs, the amount of money he got would justify it, but the hour and the place of pickup were wrong he couldn’t get in the car the amount of drugs that twenty million would justify. Someone was bound to see them and understand that something was going on.

Number two was fire power of shorts but that too couldn’t match, the casings of guns would draw too much attention in the middle of the day.

Number three was active bio or chemical weapons but that could maybe need a crew for transport and a safer vehicle. This was a valid possibility though.

It would have to be a person, he thought. He’d be parking up outside a café to pick up a person at a pretty logical hour and nobody would notice them. It’d be just another person getting in a car nothing out of the ordinary. Since they’d be giving him twenty million for the job he ruled out the trafficking. It’d be one interesting and really important individual for them, because it couldn’t just be the woman he talked on the phone with just one person wouldn’t go in so much trouble to call him for a transport and offer twenty million as a reward.

The bean, who could fit in the bean without raising suspicion. It wouldn’t be your average high profile kidnapping. That type of person would surely stand out in a hipster slash I’m a shitty ass writer and I’m writing the next hunger games trilogy please publish me café.

So it’d have to be someone who would fit into that environment otherwise they’d have chosen a different place for the pickup.

Against his better judgment he decided upon taking the job.

He left the marker he used to write on the board and walked upstairs to his closet to pick up an appropriate outfit for tomorrow. He got into his walk in closet and started fishing around a drawer. He found a pair of dark blue jeans and pulled them out along with a grey t-shirt from another drawer. 

He started going through his jackets. The bean, focus, something casual that wouldn’t draw a lot of attention, he thought and of course would justify him driving the car he does and decided upon a black leather jacket.

No matter the weather a pair of sunglasses always comes in handy. He picked up a pair of black ones with a classic design nothing to flashy.

Now for the most important part, weapons he thought. Since it was probably a person, he needed to be able to neutralize a target at close range so knifes were probably going to come in play, two in each boot, and two on his belt, other than that the usual he thought as he entered the small armory he had built in behind the bookcase in his bedroom.

He picked up four hunting knives and thought to pick up also a switchblade for good luck he thought. After that he proceeded on picking up his two favorite handguns with some extra rounds just in case. All set he thought and looked at his watch, six hours to go.

Plenty of time to get a workout in, have a shower, breakfast and then go.

#  ~*~ 

Steve parked his audi r8 in front of the café and waited for a text or a call. He was on time so he decided to wait in the car, his phone rung signaling a text and then he heard a knock on his window. He rolled down the window eyeing curiously the man, long tousled hair, black sunglasses, black leather jacket and gloves, he had to be his pick up.

“Open up, I’m your pickup” the man said and Steve opened unlocked the backdoors so that the man can get in the car.

He got his cell from the pocket of his jacket and opened the text.

**Your pickup will find you.**

He waited for another text or a call that would inform him for the delivery place, as the man settled in the back.

“They won’t call unless you start driving they’re probably afraid that I’ll get out of the car, or that I’d kill you and leave with your car” the man muttered and Steve stared at him from the mirror.

“We’ll wait a bit more and then if they still don’t make contact we’ll leave” Steve said studying the man that was sitting in the back of the car, his straight posture signified that he either had training or was afraid of what was happening, most probably both.

“Of course you won’t be taking my word for it, why would you?” the man said and stared out the window letting out a sigh.

“What’s your name by the way?” the man said still staring out the window, Steve didn’t give out his name to anyone, everyone knew him as the transporter and if the circumstances had him pressured into giving one he gave out an alias that he had established.

“I don’t really see a need for you to learn it” Steve retorted back thinking that if the man was so familiar with what was happening here it won’t be an easy job.

“So I don’t get to know the name of the person that will deliver me for slaughter?” the man spat back at him taking off his glasses and looking at him through the mirror, so assassination but why was he so willing to get killed, Steve thought looking back at the man’s piercing blue eyes.

“Steve Rogers, what’s your name?”

“Nice to meet you Steve even under these circumstances, James Buchanan Barnes”

“Why are they going to kill you?”

“I said slaughter not kill.”


	2. The Package

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember to read the tags before you continue reading.  
> Towards the end of the chapter there's a scene that could be interpreted non con so please be aware of the before you continue.

Steve had driven around for what felt like hours trying to make a heat run back to his house just in case someone was following them but it seemed that nobody did. The man had fell silent in the back seat but what he had told him was still in his mind, slaughter, what was that about. This was the second time someone had asked him to transport a person and the first time hadn’t gone so well.

“Will you tell me your name?” Steve asked trying to initiate a conversation and maybe learn something more about what was happening.

“I just told you. True to your word i see, i don't open the package, i give zero attention to it. What's the line exactly ?” the man muttered turning his head to look at him through the mirror.

“I ...” Steve muttered and started cursing himself silently because this wasn’t going well, knowing someone’s name is the first step to getting attached and he wasn’t a rookie, he couldn’t be making these mistakes. He was another package from another mission.

“Just so you know the grey jeep isn’t a tail he just stopped to the groceries shop one block back. I’d watch out for the red mini cooper if I were you” he said and Steve snapped his head at the left mirror and damn it he was right that red mini cooper had been following them from the coffee shop and has stayed the entire time on the left line and two cars back. How could he not pay attention to it, this job is not going to go well, he was certain.

“Is there something you’d like to tell me?” Steve asked hoping that the man would tell him something about these people to help him get rid of the tail at least.

“I’d like to get a chance to hug my sister again also if you have a knife on you and you drive steady I can take them out” Steve started thinking, what if James tried to kill him was the first thing that went through his mind, as far as James was concerned he was as bad as the people that hired Steve.

“I won’t kill you, relax” James said and Steve turned to look at him he grabbed one of the knives from his belt and handed it to him.

“Open the back doors and keep the car steady” James said as he moved to the backseat that was behind Steve. Steve opened the backdoor and watched as Bucky basically hung himself out of the car, aimed and fired the knife taking out the front right tire of the mini cooper with a surprising efficiency. He got himself back inside the car.

“Let’s go, they’ll call for backup” and Steve didn’t wait to be told twice as he sped up and ran right through a red light leaving a lady that was passing the road cursing them for almost running her over.

# ~*~

“Living large I see” James said as Steve pulled up into the garage of his house and tried desperately to suppress a huff at the statement because that hadn’t always been the case in his life.

“So what’s the plan here?” James asked as Steve parked the car in the garage beside his black SUV.

“You’ll tell me who’s after you and preferably why they want you for starters” Steve said and got out of the car as James followed him.

“HYDRA, the bioengineering, biotech whatever the fuck they are company” James said and Steve as he was walking to get to the door that lead to the house turned around to see James still waiting beside the car.

“Keep up” Steve said and turned around again and found himself smiling as he heard the other man running to keep up with him.

“Do you know why they want you? You said something about slaughtering” Steve said as he pushed a ten digit code to the panel and opened the door to the rest of the house.

“Upstairs is off limits” Steve muttered as he took off his jacket and left it on the sofa.

“I don’t know why they want me, all I know is that I’m the only durable subject I don’t know if this helps you somehow” he said as he followed Steve inside.

“What job do you do?” Steve asked again trying to gather as much information as he could for the guy that could shoot a knife from a moving car hit his target with professional accuracy.

“I used to run black ops for the military. Sniper” figures Steve thought so maybe HYDRA would want him for muscle or maybe for running some business of the books. He didn’t even know exactly what HYDRA did but if they were having a former black ops sniper they probably weren’t that legitimate.

“Are you going to come at me if I turn my back and find something for us to eat for lunch?” Steve asked him studying his demeanor, he seemed scared to Steve but he was doing a pretty decent job trying to hide it.

“I am hungry” the man muttered trying to smile at Steve who was somehow amused with his efforts.

“So I’m thinking scrambled eggs with a salad?” Steve said as he opened the fridge to look inside. He hadn’t gone groceries shopping for a while so the only quick solution was that.

“Can I sit?” James asked.

“Yeah of course” Steve answered him and James sat down on one of the stools on the counter that was separating the kitchen area from the rest of the living room, he pulled off his gloves and set them neatly on the counter in front of him.

Steve felt his phone buzz in his pocket and pulled it out, one unread text from an unknown number. Steve opened the text.

**12.00 at night on a location that we’ll sent you at 11.30 or we’ll be coming to get our property**

Steve read the text and gave his phone to James to read it.

“Shit, ok… Do what they say, you’ll get your money end of discussion. I won’t bother you until they text you again” James said and Steve noticed his hands were trembling as he set the phone back on the counter.

“I think we can work something else out” Steve muttered and went to grab a couple of eggs from the fridge and set them down on the counter, after that he grabbed a pan and didn’t notice James moving around the counter and coming behind him putting his arms around Steve’s waist.

“What are you doing?” Steve asked feeling petrified because he let his guard down enough for the other man to sneak up on him. James sneaked a hand down Steve’s abdomen to the front of his jeans.

“You said we could work something else out, I figured you’d want…” James muttered.

“No no, I wasn’t talking about that, I figured you’re an ex sniper you worked black ops, I have my skills I figured we could take them” Steve said turning around to face the other man.

“I’m in no condition of taking anyone down right now, I can still shoot but hand to hand I won’t have a chance against someone with even a little experience” James said and started taking of his gloves then his jacket and after that his t-shirt and Steve felt his mouth open at the sight that greeted him.

“Fuck…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please if i'm missing something in the tags or i haven't tagged it correctly feel free to yell at me in the comments


	3. The Drop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry i didn't update for so long, it was for various reasons, but there's a plan now.  
> Seven more chapters to go.  
> Remember to always read the tags.

Steve’s mind couldn’t process what he was seeing. The man in front of him had an immense amount of bruises surrounding his ribcage and Steve was pretty sure that at least one of them was broken, then his eyes caught on the scars not the huge amount of old ones, the issue was one really large, definitely surgical incision covering the left side of his chest, another one on the left side of his neck and both of them seemed pretty recent.

He then paid attention to the older ones, he could recognize ones that came from a knife, other ones that came from bullets and apparently some of the came from burnings, after some time he learned to recognize them, after all he had some pretty similar ones.

Lastly his eyes fell on the prosthetic left arm. It was an impressive piece of technology with metal overlapping plates.

“Are you feeling ok?” Steve muttered and cursed himself under his breath, growing attachments, this is going to go so spectacularly bad, but what else was he supposed to ask after all the guy probably didn’t want to say anything, it would probably be his way of explaining why a former black ops guy couldn’t fight.

“What? You see all this and the first thing you ask is if I’m feeling ok?” Bucky answered him with a look of utter confusion.

“What should I be asking? I’m pretty sure at least one rib on your right is broken. Also the scars on your neck and chest maybe need some attention. I get that you can’t fight anyone in this condition I’m not stupid.” Steve retorted and turned his back on Bucky and started breaking some eggs in a bowl.

“It’s a prototype, wired to my brain” Steve almost didn’t hear it as he poured the eggs in the pan. 

“Is that why they want you? To see how it works?” Steve asked as he moved the eggs around the pan.

“I guess” James answered and Steve turned around to see him at the exact same spot standing awkwardly staring at him.

“So that’s why slaughter” Steve said and saw the man nod emphatically.

“Start eating I’m going to bring you something to wear and maybe find something to wrap your ribs with.” Steve continued as he set a plate with eggs a slice of bread and some cheese on the counter for James. He started walking up the stairs and as soon as he was out of sight from James he run to his bedroom and took the cellphone he had sitting on his bedside table and hit zero zero one, a code he had installed personally.

“It’s me, mom needs help with her medication tonight” he said and hung up. As soon as he hung up he found himself pinned to the nearest wall both of his arms behind his back.

“What was that?” James snarled near his ear and Steve tried to get out of his grip only to find himself tasting his wall as James slammed him again getting a firmer grip on him. For a man with his injuries he had surprisingly easy the upper hand on him, but Steve didn’t expect any less as he had personally disregarded his own rules.

“I won’t ask again, what was that?” James shouted.

“That was me trying to help. Let go.” Steve retorted back at him and James immediately let go of him and took several steps back.

“I’m sorry, I know I have nothing to offer but don’t let them get me…” James said averting his eyes from Steve and pining them to the floor.

“Did you at least finish the eggs?” Steve said avoiding answering the silent question that James made, how could he promise something like that, he didn’t even know the man, nor did he know who exactly was after him and bottom line was that he didn’t even know if the man was telling him the truth. As Steve walked past him, he felt cold metal wrap around his wrist and was startled.

“They’ll kill me” James said with a trembling voice and something in Steve told him that maybe he’s worth it.

“I don’t do promises like that” Steve answered, it was one unspoken rule that he tried to live by, promises, never make them, it can only lead to disappointment. James’s hand lingered on his wrist as he kept on staring at him. Steve nudged his hand away and motioned for Bucky to follow him.

“You can’t keep walking around naked and we really need to wrap your torso” Steve said and walked into the small adjoining bathroom. He fished around his drawers and found some gauze. James put up his arms and flinched a bit as Steve started wrapping his ribs. 

“Do you remember what they put on your scars?” Steve asked motioning at the two incisions.

“Not really I was pretty out of it for a long time, do you have some disinfectant?” James answered him.

Steve found a disinfectant ointment that could work and probably help a bit with the tightness that came with freshly healing scars. He put on a pair of one use gloves and started applying it on the scars.

He heard the all too familiar ringtone coming from downstairs, a text he thought, hopefully this would be for some other job and not the one for James.

“I need to get this” Steve said and walked out the bathroom with James behind him. He took the cellphone and saw the unknown text. He opened it and read the text.

**Pick up**

After he finished reading the phone rang. Unknown caller again, this is surely for James, damn it where did he get himself into he cursed silently and put the call on speaker.

“A location is being programmed to your phone as we speak, I need you to bring the package there in twenty minutes." 

"This wasn't the deal" Steve answered in the calmest way possible, people changing the deals wasn't a good sign and he had established himself well enough for people to know that once a deal is made it doesn't change by both parties involved.

"Twenty minutes" and then the call ended.

“Get undressed right now pants off, boots, everything.” Steve said, as he plugged his phone to the nearest laptop, hoping that he wasn’t that stupid to let a package in his home without searching them. He needed to check that text, to see if that was how they got past the security measures he had on his phone. The text was just a text to get them down from the first floor of his house, the call came in attached with a nasty little virus that programmed the location.

“Why?” James asked confused. Steve grabbed a notepad and a pen and wrote down.

_they’re watching us your clothes_

James eyes went wide and started undressing himself, wincing through the discomfort Steve noticed that but didn’t make an effort to help, that maybe was a line that man didn’t need to have crossed right now, he had fought through a lot worse he could do this.

Steve run upstairs to his closet and pulled out some clothes for James and grabbed a pair of boots and run back downstairs and passed them to him.

“I need to make a phone call don’t panic” Steve said and dialed zero zero one again.

“Hey tell mom I won’t be home for lunch” Steve said and hung up. He looked up at James and saw him dressed up in the pair of jeans and the loose sweatshirt and jacket he had pulled out for him and he was struggling to tie the laces of his boots. Steve without giving it a second thought got down in front of him and scooted his hands away and tied both of his boots and got up having James looking startled and a bit irritated at him, but Steve couldn’t bother with that right now they were fifteen minutes left and he didn’t yet now exactly how much time it’d take him to get to the location.

“Follow me” Steve said grabbing the pile of clothes from the floor and shoes and going back out to his garage. He went to punch in a twenty digit code to open a second door behind his aston martin.

“Aston martin db ten? Really now? I thought this was just built for that James Bond movie” James said and Steve found himself slightly amused. 

“I know people” Steve answered smirking back at James. He fired up the incinerator and threw James clothes and boots inside.

“That is an incinerator?” James muttered.

“Yes that is an incinerator, now weapons. Pick whatever you like” Steve said as he opened a second door that lead to the third armory that had in the house and the least dangerous one, he figured that he’d give James a chance to defend himself if it came down to it and he couldn’t do something to help him.

He studied James as he walked around the room looking at his collection. He disregarded the big obvious guns and went to his knife collection. This is quite interesting Steve thought, for a man with his injuries he still goes for the knives, interesting, or maybe just good thinking so probably he was expecting a full body search. He picked up four medium sized ceramic throwing knives and one flip blade and started hiding them, intriguing choice ceramic maybe he knew more about HYDRA than he said, so metal detectors as well.

“Why do you trust me with weapons?” James asked turning to look at him as he hid the last ceramic knife in the shoe sole of his left boot.

“I need to know that if it comes down to it you have the means to protect yourself, or at least some means” Steve answered as he picked up two knives and a holster with two guns. Steve almost missed the barely whispered thank you.

“Come on, we’re going to be late and I’m never late” Steve continued as he started walking to the garage. He almost run towards the black Camaro and got in. James got in the seat beside him.

#  ~*~ 

“Too many things can go wrong here, I don’t like this” Steve said breaking the silence that hung heavy between them at the six minutes it took them to get there and pulled up in front of yet another coffee shop. What was it with these people and coffee shops anyway?

It was also really busy this time in the afternoon, it was expected but still Steve’s nerves were on edge. They both got out of the car and Steve caught James’s hand to stop him from going inside the coffee shop.

“Wait” Steve muttered and James nodded and waited beside him leaning against the car, as Steve’s eyes searched around the street and at the busy coffee shop for any suspicious movements, but nothing really seemed out of place, the usual busy street and coffee shop. He felt his phone buzz and pulled it out of his pocket, unknown caller.

“Ok we’re coming” Steve said and hung up.

“It’s the same man, he said to go inside” Steve continued and motioned for James to follow him. They get in and start looking around, Steve noticed that all the tables were full, every single one of them, every single chair taken and there was also a huge line with people waiting to order. Somehow it made no sense to him, such a huge line when the place was full, most people would just see that it’s full and move on to the next coffee shop. This wasn’t the place where the coffee was so spectacular for it to be this full. It didn’t make sense to him somehow.

“Let’s go get a table” came a voice from behind them and both of them turned around to look at the man.

“Brock?” James uttered and Steve felt him start hyperventilating a bit. So they knew each other, this is going to go so great.

“Are you working with them?” James asked nudging Brock’s hand off of him.

“Get out” Brock said and Steve noticed in awe as every single person got up from the tables and walked out of the café even the baristas got out, even if it was quite alarming Steve was honestly impressed.

“Steve you’ll get your twenty million now get out” Brock said and Steve realized that apparently they did put a bug on James, there wasn’t any other way they would have known his name.

“You know what? I think I’ll stay” Steve said and positioned himself slightly in front of James and nudged him a bit towards his left.

“Brock please” James said and Steve turned to his side and saw tears forming in his eyes, what was he missing, they weren’t family, James had only mentioned a sister, so maybe someone from his black ops days, were they exes? His thought process was interrupted as he felt a hand trying to nudge him aside and reach for James.

“Hands off” Steve snarled and pushed him back simultaneously pulling out one gun from his holster and pointing it straight to Brock’s head.

“Get out of here, I just want him. You’ll get your money as promised.” Brock retorted back and started advancing on him. The sound of glass shattering filled the air and Brock fell down in front of him with blood oozing from his leg.

“Let’s go” Steve said as he grabbed a James’s arm they run out of the café, got back inside the car and Steve slammed the gas pedal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will be very frequent now that i've planned things out. I hope you come with me on this adventure.  
> Also leave me some comments to tell me what you think of it.


	4. The Why

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags are update so please do read them first.

“Did you know him?” Steve asked trying to keep his eyes fixed on the road before him and his surroundings to see if anyone was after them, dead silence from the man beside him. Steve knew that they knew each other but he needed more details, there was no way he could work this out with so little information.

“JAMES” Steve yelled and turned to look at James, who turned to look at him with tears streaming down his eyes, fuck this entire thing is going to shit so fast, at least he finally got his attention.

“Yes” James almost whispered and Steve almost didn’t hear it as he tried to pass a curiously really slow moving Mercedes in front of him.

“I … Turn around and hand me over to them… just … just hand me over and forget I ever got into your car in the first place” James said and looked outside the window, Steve stared at him and didn’t know what to do. That man was willing to fight just half an hour ago what was it with this Brock that made him change his opinion this fast.

“I’m not having this discussion right now because I will certainly run over someone” Steve said and tried to keep his eyes fixed on the road but couldn’t really help turning around at times to watch that strange man beside him trying desperately to control his breathing.

# ~*~

Steve pulled into his garage and got out of the Camaro trying desperately not to slam the door. He started walking away from the car when he noticed that James hadn’t gotten out of the car.

“Come on” Steve said and heard the man finally getting out of the car and hurrying to get to him.

“Why do you want to help me? You could have had your money by now, with zero trouble” James asked and Steve stared at him thinking that this situation was getting more and more interesting by the minute.

“I’m not doing this without coffee, come on” Steve said and punched in the code in a hurry to get to the rest of the house. As soon as James got in, Steve armed all the alarm systems he had, better safe than sorry.

“Sofa go, I’m making coffee. French press works for you?” Steve asked as he walked towards the kitchen.

“I’m not sure…” James muttered as he stood exactly where he was when he walked through the door.

“French press it is, go sit down” Steve said and fired up his coffee machine. He then pulled out two mugs and a plate to put some cookies on. He had a couple of minutes until the coffee was made to see how he could approach the situation. This wasn’t something he usually found himself doing, getting a package that he wasn’t willing to deliver but then again this was the first time he was called to transport what apparently was a victim, to what crime or crimes exactly he didn’t know yet, but James surely was a victim. Also this Brock guy, he needed more details, he had figured out that they must have known each other from James’s black ops days, a job like that doesn’t really leave you with enough social life so it must be from there, mister Brock apparently had some sort of power because there were a lot of people in that coffee shop and he had rank over every single one of them since he commanded every person out and all listened like puppets. Whoever was Brock’s boss also had the idea that James would go willingly with Brock since they trusted him to pull off being alone there with him and James. The only thing these people didn’t account for was him being unwilling to finish the transport. The smell of freshly brewed coffee hit him and pulled him out of his train of thought. He poured out coffee into the two mugs, picked up the tray and walked over to his living room.

There he found James sitting on the floor with his eyes fixed on the coffee table but not really looking. He had seen this kind of disassociation, hell he had been there on more than one occasion.

“Hey James, what are you doing down there?” Steve said trying to ease him back from wherever his brain had made him go, but no answer came, not even a flicker of movement. Steve left the tray he was holding on the coffee table and went to sit beside James on the floor leaving a decent gap between them.

“James, can you hear me?” Steve asked again but again there was no sign that what he was saying was even registering to James, so he decided to reach out a cautious hand towards him, knowing all too well that it wasn’t the brightest of ideas. In a matter of seconds he found himself pinned on the floor metal closing around his throat dangerously fast.

“James I’m trying to help you” Steve rasped and suddenly James eyes widened apparently realizing what was happening.

“Stop calling me James” he retorted back to Steve as he jumped up and put a considerable distance between them. Steve got up and sat on the couch rubbing the back of his head, that was quite a powerful hit.

“Can I call you Bucky?” Steve asked still rubbing his head and god that was going to make a bump, he saw him nod back to him.

“Can you please sit down? You weren’t there for a minute or maybe a little more than that.” Steve said trying to stir the conversation towards what he wanted, he needed to know and he needed more information now.

“It happens sometimes.” Bucky said as he sat down at the edge of the couch and as far away from Steve as possible.

“How do you know Brock? I’m sorry I need to know what I’m dealing with.” Steve asked and got up to pass Bucky one of the mugs and the plate with the cookies.

“He was the head of the team I was working for and he was more to me than that. One time I was covering some members of the team from a considerable distance and let’s just say that another not friendly team found me and they took me.

They had me for about two weeks or that’s what they told me when they got me back. Brock was the one that got me out and was with me almost every step of the way, he contacted STARK TECH and made arrangements to have me get that arm, he was there for my recovery, through everything.

One night to be honest I didn’t even realize how it happened I go to bed and wake up in this sort of prison cell. I don’t know how it happened I try really hard to remember something but it’s just blank. From bits and pieces of conversations I heard they were a part of HYDRA bioengineering, my hand is a prototype and they wanted to see how everything is wired and how it works.

Apparently what I have is a prototype that is going to change the game in prosthetics.” Bucky after this went silent and started staring at the plate of cookies that was on the table in front of him. Steve tried to let everything sink in, it all made sense, of course they’d be willing to kill someone if it made them more millions, fucking corporations damn everything on the face of the earth.

“You can have one” Steve said and saw Bucky reaching a hand to take one when his phone rang, he reached in his pocket and picked it up.

“Yeah of course” Steve said and ended the call.

“Who was it?” Bucky asked and let the cookie back on the plate.

“The man that helped us today and shot Brock. He’s okay” Steve said and got up to disarm the alarm.

“Do I stay here?” Bucky asked and Steve noticed the worry turn into panic as he opened the door.

“Hey come in” Steve said and the man came inside dumping a heavy metal case on the floor beside the door he walked towards the living room as Steve armed the alarm again.

“Clint Barton meet Bucky Barnes” Steve said as he came back.

“Hey man nice to meet you finally” Clint said and extended his arm to Bucky who was looking at Clint and his extended arm with worry.

“So what’s up?” Clint asked and sat down grabbing the mug of coffee Steve have left and taking a sip.

“What’s up is that’s my coffee, go get a mug and pour yourself from the pot.” Steve said trying to lighten the mood and get Bucky out of his alarmed mode.

“That was your coffee, you go get another mug. You boys need to know that whoever you pissed off they have a surprisingly good team. They almost got me on the roof and they had the entire block on lockdown, you were lucky to get out.” Clint said and was cut off by the bell.

“Are we expecting anyone else?” Clint asked turning at Steve.

“No” Steve said and pulled out one of his guns from his belt and Clint run towards his case and pulled out a small crossbow and armed it in a matter of seconds.

“Bucky go upstairs and go into my bedroom, I’m going to arm it as a panic room” Steve said as Bucky was running up the stairs.

Steve armed the panic room he had installed at his bedroom and the titanium doors sealed it shut. He opened the cameras he had installed on his door and saw a man around his forties, in a bespoke suit, he didn’t seem much of a threat but you could never be too careful.

“Do you know him?” Clint asked.

“No” Steve said and opened the intercom giving the man at his front door a chance to identify himself.

“I heard the intercom open. My name is Tony Stark, I know mister James Barnes is here, let me in” the man said staring directly into one of what Steve thought was a well hidden camera into one of the bricks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to hear your opinions on it in the comments.


	5. The Mechanic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how to tag this, there's mentions of illegal experimentations on people and illegal organ harvesting. Nothing in particularly gorry i just mention this.

“Let him in” Clint said and Steve looked at him wide eyed, he knew his friend was prone to not considering potentially dangerous situations but it never seized to surprise him.

“What if they followed him here? What if the people who want Bucky watch him too?” Steve retorted back at him without turning his eyes from the screen watching the man at his front doorstep.

“I wasn’t followed coming here. I need to talk with Barnes let me inside” came the man’s voice from the intercom and startled both Steve and Clint. Steve started running all the different scenarios in his head, Stark was a mechanic, a millionaire, maybe billionaire anyway that didn’t matter probably the only time he came close to learning about hand to hand combat was doing a toned down version of boxing trying to squeeze in his schedule some cardio. Steve and Clint both had years of experience, he couldn’t be a match to them.

“Leave the crossbow, first drawer in the kitchen I have some knives go grab something” Steve said.

“I’m okay” Clint answered him as he put the crossbow on the floor beside him and pulled two knives from his boots and hid them inside his sleeves. Steve huffed a silent laughed of course, Clint no matter where he was going, no matter the time and place was always armed to the teeth, Steve buzzed Stark inside as he silently prayed that he wasn’t making the worst mistake of his life.

“Finally” was the first thing that came out of Tony’s mouth as he entered through the door, Steve studied him from head to toe, bespoke suit, shoes to match, no bag of any kind, the suit didn’t have any bumps that would be hiding a gun hostler. 

“Can you both stop eyeballing me? By the way I introduced myself, so who are you, also where’s Barnes?” Tony said raising an eyebrow to them.

“What exactly do you want with Barnes?” Clint said and Steve silently thanked him for making the first step for him because call it being suspicious of basically everyone or call he had seen a lot in his line of work but he didn’t trust Tony.

“We had an appointment for this morning and he didn’t show up, his arm is a prototype and I need to keep an eye on him, I don’t even know why I’m explaining myself to you to be honest. I just need to check up if he’s ok because some readings I’m receiving were not so good. Where is he people?” Tony said crossing his arms over his chest and starring at both of them.

“If you’re here to check on Bucky where’s your bag? Shouldn’t you have some tools?” Steve retorted back to him.

“What century are you living in, I have a phone” Tony answered him as he pulled out his phone from the pocket of his pants.

“Yeah you have a phone, how will that help you check a metal arm? Humor me and explain more” Steve snarled back at Tony whose arrogance didn’t resonate with him at all.

“I say we let him see Barnes and if he does anything we kill him” Clint said and Steve looked at him with eyes wide with surprise.

“What?” Tony asked and Steve was finally relieved to see the extravagant behavior finally toned down.

“You heard him, if you do anything to cause him harm in any way we are going to kill you” Steve said deciding to play along wtih Clint and he put on a stern face to make their point, because maybe Bucky needed to be checked out by Tony but Steve didn’t need another problem right now.

“Ha ha okay, joke’s over guys come on now where’s Barnes?” Tony asked again and Steve actually saw the effort he put on trying not to look scared.

“Oh we’re not joking buddy, if you do anything funny we’re going to kill you” Clint said and pulled out one of the knives he had hidden in his sleeves.

“How did you find us?” Steve said as it dawned on him that he had burned everything that Bucky was wearing and he was always careful not to be followed back and this time even more than usual, so what exactly was he missing here.

“I have a tracker embedded inside his hand. I can’t keep him in the lab forever he’s a human being, I needed a way to know where he is at all times in case he had problems with the arm, which wouldn’t happen because I built it, but you can never be too careful and I can’t have Barnes dying and no he doesn’t know that I have a tracker on him” Tony said keeping his eyes glued to the knife Clint was holding. Steve in a swift motion pulled out a knife he had in his belt and slammed Tony to the nearest wall holding the knife to his throat.

“I will only ask once, does anyone else except you know about the tracker and can it be hacked?” Steve growled in Tony’s face putting some more pressure to the knife enough to graze Tony’s neck, he had a long list of enemies and couldn’t afford anyone of them knowing where he lived.

“Of course not, the team that helped me with this also doesn’t know. They’re employees, it’s my money and reputation that’s on the line and I’m trying to make something that is going to help people so of course i wanted to keep an eye on him personally to see how things went” Tony muttered and Steve let him go, he wasn’t sure if he believed him yet, but on the off chance that something was wrong with Bucky he needed to have Tony check up on him since he apparently built the arm.

“Keep an eye on him, I’m going to get Bucky” Steve said and went upstairs to get Bucky out of the panic room. He run upstairs and went towards his bedroom. He reached what was once the door to his bedroom but now was a titanium solid wall, he stood in front of it and placed both of his open palms on it, two biometrics number one to get in through the first wall was his fingerprints, number two was his walking pace that opened the second wall and disarmed the panic room. Steve found Bucky sitting on the floor beside his bed.

“What’s going on downstairs?” Bucky muttered looking up at Steve.

“It’s Tony Stark, he’s here to check up on you, something about getting alarming readings I don’t really know. Look if he does anything to you Clint and I will take care of him. I need to ask though is he really the one that built you the arm, he says he was and there was a team that helped him but I need to hear it from you to let him go anywhere near you” Steve said extending an arm to help Bucky up from the floor.

“Yeah he was, he did everything” Bucky said and took Steve’s arm to stand up. Steve turned around and started walking back downstairs but noticed that Bucky was still not following him. Steve turned around to look at Bucky

“I’ll be there with you and so will Clint” Steve said extending his arm again trying to reassure the other man. Bucky disregarded the gesture and without saying another word got downstairs with Steve close on his tracks.

“Finally” Tony said as soon as he saw them.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it today, some things happened” Bucky said without losing a strange façade that he apparently put on as he walked down on flight of stairs.

“Okay that is vague. Anyway I got some weird readings from the sensors and came to see what’s up. They indicated elevated heart rate, some risen temperature. So tell me exactly what kind of discomfort you’ve been experiencing.” Tony said and started tapping away on his phone waiting for Bucky to start talking, Steve noticed the hesitation on him, Bucky’s entire demeanor changed as soon as he addressed Tony so maybe Tony wasn’t so innocent to everything that happened with HYDRA.

“Your team kidnapped me and passed me over to HYDRA, every single person that worked with you on the arm I have right now. That blonde woman, you know the biochemist whatever the fuck she’s anyway dosed me with something but apparently wasn’t enough and it took five guys to make me play nice, they don’t work for you by the way they’re with HYDRA.

HYDRA is where your entire team decided to pass me over by the way. I’m not sure what exactly for, probably to examine and try to replicate the arm and how you wired it to my brain, basically they want to kill me. So they take me to this place, it was like the ones you see in movies, everything white the room was bare and this person comes in, little skinny dude, i was feeling ok and decided to maybe take a hostage and basically do what I was trained to do for others, get out of a messy situation but this time I was trying to get myself out.

So I easily get a headlock on him, I think he probably thought that the stuff blondie injected me with and the fact that I was bruised and beaten would be enough to make me less dangerous. Nobody came, so I killed the guy, next thing I knew the floor is flooded with water and I was electrocuted unconscious. I wake up in chains, my neck, both my hands behind my back and my feet too, chained to a wall of a different room. 

An hour passed and ten people get inside the room four of them hold guns to my head two of the others hold guns pointed at me from a distance. The others unchain me and start to get me naked. Imagine the thrill in that. They dress me up, get me inside a van and dump me at a coffee shop with the warning that there are four snipers dispersed in key positions, three of them will be aiming at you in case you try to run, and one will be aiming at random civilians, in case you succeed on getting away all of them with start shooting to kill random people, a guy will come to move you to a more secure location. 

That’s the way Steve here came in the picture. So I’m asking you right now, why the hell should I believe that you came here because you were so worried about your project and that you’re not in with them.” Steve felt flabbergasted with what he’d just heard, but that would have to wait for now, he pulled his gun out of his hostler and aimed it right at an equal flabbergasted Tony.

“Why would I give a technology that I spent months developing to a company that has neither the know how nor the money to develop it and not to mention the rumors going around about illegal experiments and illegal organ harvesting. I have enough legal problems as it is, this would just be plain stupid to do and I’m not stupid” Tony said but Steve still didn’t believe him. It was pretty convenient of him to just not know anything about his entire team working for HYDRA.

“Pretty convenient for you though to not know anything about your entire team selling you out” Clint said looking at Tony and Steve silently thanked him for always thinking similarly to him.

“How is it convenient, why would I sell this technology to them? Barnes has the first hand that works well and has sensation exactly the same as his flesh arm, it’s a multimillion dollar project the entire HYDRA company doesn’t even cost that much. It’ll make me zero profit to sell even a lighter to them because they can’t buy it from me. I know I sound like an obnoxious prick but they can’t buy it from me. I have an international patent on this and I’m thinking when a year passes to go public with it and let people that need it have it for five hundred dollars.” Tony almost shouted back at them.

“Because you’re such a good person and want to give back to humanity?” Steve asked him not lowering the gun yet as he still wasn’t convinced.

“I’m not a good person. It’s because I want to do something that actually matters for people” Tony said, got up and stood in front of Steve’s gun.

“Ok don’t get your panties in a twist. Are you willing to press charges?” Clint asked from the couch.

“Of course I am and honestly so should Barnes and I will get my legal team to represent you free of charge and for what it’s worth I’m sorry for what they did to you” Tony said looking at Bucky straight in the eyes and Steve at that moment felt like maybe Tony was telling the truth.

“Will you come with me to the station to press charges?” Clint asked again and Tony turned to look at him with his eyes almost popping out of his head from the surprise because Clint didn’t look anything like a detective and it always shocked people when they learned it.

“You are a police officer?” Tony muttered.

“Detective” Clint said and fished around his pockets for his badge.

“You’re a detective?” Tony muttered again.

“Let me get my bows and we’re leaving” Clint said and got up from the couch to gather his things.

“He has bows?” Tony muttered turning to look at Steve.

“He’s special” Steve said knowing that his friend wasn’t fond of strangers knowing more than what was necessary about him.

“Take care and if anything comes up call me or anyone of the others. I’ll inform you on how the process will go. It was nice meeting you Bucky even under the circumstances.” Clint said from the door.

“It was nice to meet you too and thanks for having our backs” Bucky answered him reluctantly. Clint left with Tony close beside him.

“So he’s a detective.” Bucky said looking at Steve.

“Yes he is.” Steve said studying Bucky’s reluctant expression.

“Who are the others?” Bucky said and it took Steve a while to realize that he referred to what Clint said about calling him or the others.

“Clint’s colleagues. They’re all stand up people Natasha’s a bit scary but I think it’s just her natural expression” Steve said trying to reassure Bucky that everything would eventually be ok.

“In your line of work how did you end up knowing them? I’m sorry, I’m just curious.” Bucky said as he took a sit on the couch and Steve decided to join him since this was going to be a pretty interesting conversation.


	6. The Director

“It’s a long story and really boring” Steve said trying desperately to avoid telling Bucky about his past, yes he had decided to help him out but that didn’t mean he needed to know more than what was necessary about him.

“I just told you more or less everything about me” Bucky said as he leaned back on the couch letting out a groan.

“You told me what happened to you in a span of a couple of months, that isn’t you telling me everything about you, so you trying to hit me in my feelings is not going to work” Steve said cursing himself a bit because maybe he’d be willing to share about his past but not at this moment and not under these circumstances. 

“Oh believe me that is not me hitting you in your feelings, if I was doing that you’d be crying right now Stevie” Bucky said and Steve found himself marveling in the fact that there was a hint of a smile on the other man’s face.

“Let’s just say I’m a concerned citizen and most of the times the police find themselves having some great intel on certain things that happen around town” Steve answered him with a smirk.

“It’ll be ok you know that right?” Steve continued, trying to reassure both of them, because yes Bucky was the one in real danger but no matter how much he was trying to ignore it, he’d grown to care about the person sitting on the couch next to him, it wasn’t a savior complex, he didn’t know how to express it but savior complex wasn’t it. 

“You don’t have to give me a pep talk” Bucky answered him and got up from the couch and started walking towards the floor to ceiling windows opposite the couch to look outside.

“It’s not a pep talk, it’s actually going to be ok, Clint and the others at the station are the best at their job, they’ll get them” Steve said as he got up to accompany Bucky at the window.

“Before the arm, I was doing a job that was… let’s just say that I know that people don’t always get caught” Bucky said starring outside the window to the night lights of the city.

“They will, this time they’ll get caught” Steve repeated reaching a cautious arm to Bucky’s shoulder, Bucky didn’t nudge him away.

“They have Brock. He’s … he doesn’t get caught, if your friends are the best at their jobs so is he” Bucky said turning around to stare at Steve.

“Don’t get me wrong but with how things are I don’t think he cares about you and don’t underestimate them and don’t underestimate me” Steve said after having chosen his words carefully, he knew he treaded down a dangerous path, because he was certain that the relationship Bucky had with Brock at one point meant a lot if not everything to him.

“You think that I haven’t figured out that he doesn’t care about me, that he didn’t care about me ever? How stupid do you think I am? I don’t underestimate you nor do I underestimate your friends, I was a sniper and I know what it takes to get the shot Clint made without having a spotter and without having the time to analyze all of the surrounding factors. It’s just that I know what Brock is capable of as well.” Steve then understood the fear that was behind Bucky’s words, he didn’t know Steve and the others and the person that he did know and loved at one point had betrayed him. It was a lonely and scary place to be. Steve felt his phone buzz in his pocket, got it out and saw it was Clint calling him.

“It’s Clint” Steve said and picked up the call.

“I’ll ask him and call you back” Steve answered and ended the call.

“What happened?” Bucky asked.

“He was asking if you’re ok with going down at the station to talk. Tony filed several lawsuits and reported everything that happened but they think it’ll help if you’re willing to file a lawsuit as well and tell your side of the story as well. He says that if you don’t want to he can come over and take your statement. Also Tony says that his legal team will be representing you as well if you decide to do something and everything would be paid for” Steve said and noticed as Bucky’s wheals started to turn as he was thinking.

“What happens with what I do, or what I used to do? If anything from that time comes up I’ll get a death sentence” Bucky said turning back to look outside the window.

“You’ll talk with Natasha and she’ll take care of that” Steve answered him.

“Steve I’m not a saint and I’ve done a lot of bad things to a lot of people and most of them turned out that they didn’t deserve it. Your friend would want to help Bucky the victim, what happens with Bucky the ex- assassin?” Bucky said not turning to look at Steve.

“Clint was with a circus a while back the famous hawkeye as he likes to remind everyone when they doubt him. He was mixed up in a lot of things and Natasha got him out of that and brought him on the police department. She even got his record clean.

Then there’s Bruce. He works on forensics. Great guy but has a lot of anger management issues. Once upon a time there was a new drug being developed and nobody could get any solid piece of evidence on the lab that made it, no paper trail no witnesses, nobody was willing to talk, zero trace of the drug inside the lab, nothing. Couple of weeks later failure after failure on getting anything on them, they find everyone there dead. No clue how it happened nothing and they also find evidence that they did manufacture the drug, what they used, how they distributed everything around town, everything was recorded in logs. Couple of days later I got my hands on a tape that the cartel had. It had caught Bruce opening up a tank dispersing a gas through the vents. I got the tape to Natasha and the rest is history and dear Bruce is still working happily in his lab, that‘s until the next intern pisses him off. 

You also have Thor, he’s like a giant golden retriever, you’ll get that when you meet him. He gets into so much trouble but that’s because he has zero patience. So guess who makes stuff surface that he acted within the law. Thor’s right every single time, he’s got the greatest instincts I’ve seen but he can never wait for a warrant, it’s a problem to be honest.

What I want to say is that Natasha gets the bigger picture. She’s a firm believer that your past actions don’t have to define your future and if she deems you a good person then she’s going to help out.” Steve hoped that what he’d just said to Bucky will make him believe that they wouldn’t get him in jail for his past actions.

“You seem in love with Natasha” Bucky snickered back at him and Steve was astonished that from everything Steve had just said that’s what Bucky got.

“No god no. She’s like a big sister to me, also don’t tell her that because she will kill me and make it look like a tragic accident.” Steve answered him smiling.

“Do we go now?” Bucky asked and Steve nodded back to him.

# ~*~

“You’re supposed to be the fucking transporter and you’re half an hour late” Clint said smirking as he came to greet them.

“Yell a bit louder the entire station hasn’t heard you yet” Steve said mortified at Clint’s lack of tact.

“Hey Bucky, so how do you feel as the first person that made Steve late?” Clint said winking at him with the giant smirk never leaving his face.

“I…” Bucky muttered and Steve felt for his confusion.

“Let’s go inside, the others should be waiting” Steve said trying to save Bucky from the awkward situation.

“She’s on her fifth coffee I think and you kept her waiting” Clint said and turned around to lead them inside the station.

“She sounds scary” Bucky muttered to Steve as they got inside and started walking down a hallway.

“Man you should see her pissed, she gets so brutal” Clint said as he started walking up the stairs at the end of the hallway.

“And you don’t want to see me get brutal right now Clint so hurry up” shouted a voice that came from a couple of floors up.

“And she does this weird thing, she hears everything it’s scary” Clint whispered and Steve laughed as they started getting up the stairs. They walked towards a door and Steve saw Bucky reading the sign on the door and hesitating.

## Natalia Alianovna Romanoff  
Director

“Come inside it’ll be ok I’ll be right there with you” Steve said trying to ease Bucky’s mind a bit. Steve offered him his hand and Bucky grabbed it, Steve didn’t know if it was out of his desperation or if he didn’t want to seem rude but he at least hoped it offered him some sort of comfort, something to hold onto literally and figuratively.

“You’re late. I’m Natasha” Steve greeted her with a kiss on her cheek and she saw her extend an arm to Bucky for a handshake.

“Bucky Barnes” Bucky said as he shook her hand and Steve let out a mental exhale because he feared that there was a possibility that Bucky could bolt out of the building running.

“Hello there” came a voice and Bucky got startled as Thor walked inside the room holding three cups.

“Where’s mine?” Clint asked and walked over to Thor to help him and get his coffee.

“Here it is black as usual. So I did not know how you take your coffee so here’s black and I have sugar and milk here so make it as you like it.” Thor said as he put the cups down and pulled a couple of sachets with sugar from the left pocket of his jeans and a small bottle of milk from his back pocket.

“I take mine black as well thank you though” Bucky said and before he could reach for a cup, Thor had him trapped in a hug and Steve smiled at Bucky’s startled expression.

“So nice to meet you. We will sort everything out I can assure you of that” Thor said as he released him from the hug.

“So take a sit, we have a lot to talk about” Natasha said and Steve saw Bucky sitting on a chair in front of Natasha’s desk, Clint was already sitting on a couch and Thor went to join him, so Steve took a sit as well on the other chair opposite Bucky. 

“So we’ve all here been aware of the situation. Tony’s lawyers would be here in half an hour to talk with you about the situation and help you out. I want you to know that there’s a possibility that we might not get the entire corporation. 

The team that did this to you might not even exist in their records and I can tell you right now that they’ll deny any tie with them. I need you to understand that I might not be able to tie them to this and believe me when I tell you that I’ve been after these fuckers for quite a while about illegal organ trading, so I want to nail them really badly.” Natasha explained and Steve saw her wait for a reaction from Bucky.

“Okay but we can let Bruce do a little bit of his magic” Clint said sipping his coffee.

“No we can’t. You saw what happened with them the last time we were able to get a warrant on them, they got the entire search thrown out the window on a technicality of them having no time to read the entire warrant. I want this done by the book, I want every single person working for them thrown in a hole not being able to see the light of day for the rest of their pathetic lives.” Natasha answered Clint, Steve noticed the anger getting through the cracks of her poised demeanor.

“So what? We get the people that are after Bucky and maybe just maybe turn around for a second and let Steve have a minute with them and make them talk and establish a connection between them and HYDRA” Clint retorted back to Natasha.

“What if you let them get me?” Bucky muttered.

“No, not going to happen no” Steve said turning to look at Bucky shocked at his words. Couple of hours ago he was willing to fight them and now he just wants to play bait, Steve couldn’t understand that.

“Bucky you’re a civilian, we can’t have you be the bait here” Thor said and Clint nodded his approval on Thor’s words, it was dangerous on so many levels.

“Do all of you here know about me?” Bucky asked looking at Natasha and Thor.

“Yes we do know, but at this moment right now you’re a civilian in need of protection we cannot allow you going anywhere near them” Thor retorted back to him but Steve noticed that Bucky wasn’t willing to give in yet.

“No listen to me, if they get me you can catch them in the act in one of their facilities” Bucky almost shouted back to Thor.

“Nat can you give us a moment?” Steve asked and saw Natasha nod and Thor with Clint followed her out of her office leaving him alone with Bucky.

“Why do you want so badly to do this?” Steve turned to ask Bucky because this was a suicide mission waiting to happen, too many things could go wrong.

“I… I want them… I want them to stop… I don’t know Steve maybe you’re rubbing off on me” Bucky said finally averting his eyes from the floor to look up at Steve.

“Too many things can go wrong and you know it” Steve said staring at Bucky’s eyes.

“Maybe I could pay for my sins too, who knows” Bucky muttered and Steve finally understood what was behind his intention, Steve got startled when he heard the door burst open behind him and Natasha walked in.

“Steve get out” Natasha said and Steve looked at her confused.

“I said get out” Natasha almost shouted at him and Steve saw no reason to argue with her and got out of the room closing the door behind him.

“What’s up with her?” Steve asked Thor and Clint.

“She overheard the whole I need to pay for my sins speech and you know how she gets when she hears things like that” Clint said.

“Oh I do, I just... there are so many things that can go wrong if he does this, you know Brock the guy you shot he has a history with Bucky and it’s such a bad idea to put Bucky in that position especially with that guy.” Steve said as he leaned back against the glass wall that surrounded Natasha’s office.

“I think Bucky knows that. I am not sure if it’s wise to remind him on every chance we get about that fact. It is not an easy situation he has found himself facing” Thor said and Steve understood where he was coming from but still wasn’t convinced.

“Steven Grant Rogers are you experiencing a crush?” Clint said smirking and Steve felt his cheeks blush if that was even possible, but suppressed it. Feelings would be nothing but a distraction right now.

“I don’t do feelings Clinton Francis Barton” Steve replied mocking his friend’s tone.

“Oh that’s so cute you do have a crush” Clint said and went over to him to nudge his shoulder.

“Listen Clint he, he can’t do this right now” Steve said finally admitting that the man talking with Natasha right now had grown on him quite a lot.

“I know that, I’m just teasing you” Clint replied to him smiling.

“They’ve been in there a long time” Steve muttered a bit scared as to how the conversation might be going inside.

“Relax you know Natasha, she said before going inside that she needed to talk to him. Just that don’t worry about it” Thor said as the door opened and Natasha motioned for them to come inside.

“So we talked and we’re going to go with what Bucky proposed” Natasha said and Steve felt his blood start to boil, he believed that she would talk Bucky out of this and they ended up agreeing that he will do it, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Listen Steve, you’ll come over tomorrow and we’ll prepare about this, we’ll have Bruce fit a recording device in his arm, we can catch them red handed and they’ll go in jail forever.” Natasha said never breaking her calm demeanor, Steve noticed that Bucky kept his eyes fixed on the floor, did he actually agree on this or was this Natasha’s wishes to get these people getting the better of her, because in order to catch them red handed in order to substantiate a crime they’d need someone to hurt Bucky.

“Buck you cannot tell me you’re willing to do this, you know what catching them red handed means and in order for it to stick to court” Steve said and didn’t realize that he was shouting out his frustration.

“Steve this isn’t your choice to make, it’s Barnes’s and he made it” Natasha shouted back at him and at that point he was certain that this was her wanting to put another arrest on her record damn the consequences.

“Go home think about it. Talk it over and come back here tomorrow when you can think straight about this.” Natasha said and showed both of them the door.

# ~*~

The ride back home was silent. Steve thought of starting a conversation with Bucky but when he saw his expression as he was looking outside the window he thought it was for the better to let Bucky think uninterrupted until they got home.

As they got inside the garage and Steve got out of the car he felt a searing pain at his left shoulder but didn’t scream. He turned his head and was surprised to see a knife sticking out of his back. He turned at Bucky who looked at him, no he wasn’t looking at him he was looking at someone behind him. The next thing he felt was the barrel of a gun on the back of his head. 

“Now will you come with me?” came a voice from behind him and Steve realized that it was Brock, how the hell did he get inside his house.

“Yes” Bucky muttered and Steve felt a strong hit on the back of his head and everything went black.


	7. The Red Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy as always tags are updated so give them a read before you continue with the chapter and of course if anything is making you uncomfortable please don't continue on reading!  
> So i'm late with the update, so stuff happened one of them was CIVIL WAR i was trying to gather like my thoughts, my feelings, my everything after this movie.  
> Anyways I'm gonna really try to stay more consistent.  
> Hope you enjoy the update!!!

“Did you have fun with your new boyfriend?” Brock asked mockingly and Bucky could physically feel the sting of poison in his question. He decided not to answer him because he wasn’t sure he could keep his composure and it was not a good idea to provoke the driver of the car he is a passenger in and he is also cuffed to the glove compartment in front of him with cable ties not one but four so there is that, it wouldn’t end well, at least now he could try and remember the route Brock took.

“Are you doing the I am mad at you so I’m not talking? Is that what you’re doing?” Brock continued to mock him and Bucky turned his eyes from the window to look at him.

“After everything, you’re going to deliver me to them? Was the money that good? What was it, tell me” Bucky retorted back trying to keep his voice leveled and not give it a go at head-butting him damn the fact that he could crash the car or that maybe he couldn’t be able to make the distance to hit Brock.

#  **40 Minutes Earlier Police Station**

“Ok I’m gonna go follow them” Clint said as he grabbed his leather jacket from the couch inside Natasha’s office.

“Clint” Natasha muttered.

“I won’t get made I promise. I just want to keep an eye on them.” Clint cut off Natasha who was smiling at him.

“Call if you see anything ok?” Natasha said and Clint nodded and run off to the garage to get to his car. There he found Thor waiting for him leaning against the car.

“I’m coming with you” Thor said and Clint nodded seeing no point in arguing with Thor, they’ve established that a long time ago, since every single time they argued Thor somehow ended up always being right. Also back up was always a must they had established that one since the Havana incident where Clint had insisted on going to help a former friend from the circus, who ended up not being much of a friend and Thor had tagged along without telling anyone and ended up saving Clint’s life. 

They both got into the car and speeded off to get to Steve’s place.

#  ~*~

“Wait, isn’t that Bucky?” Thor said as he turned his head around to get a better look at the two guys entering a grey Mercedes gla suv. Clint looked through the rearview mirror and damn it Thor was right.

“It’s the asshole I shot” Clint cursed as he noticed the guy getting into the driver’s sit.

“Go around the block and drop me off. I’ll check on Steve you go follow them” Thor said and Clint turned right and Thor got off, he then made a u turn and saw the suv passing in front of him. They were going on a normal speed so that was good they hadn’t noticed him, Clint waited a bit to turn right again and follow them. The road was deserted so he had to drive as normally as possible because his fiat wouldn’t really stand a chance if they made him.

#  ~*~

Thor drew out his gun and made his way towards Steve’s house. He didn’t know if people were still in there so he figured better safe than sorry. He entered through the open garage door and tried to make sure he was as silent as possible, a few feet away he saw Steve lying on the ground with his eyes closed and run towards him.

He started shaking him in order to wake him, he figured that if people were still inside the house it wouldn’t be wise to start shouting. Steve after a few minutes of shaking and slapping groaned and opened his eyes.

“Buck…” Steve muttered.

#  ~*~

Clint took out his cell and dialed Natasha.

“I’m tailing Bucky, he’s in a dark grey Mercedes gla suv, no plates…”

“He’s with the guy I shot…”

“Yeah yeah, you need to send someone to Steve’s place…”

“Now Nat...”

“Yeah ok I’ll keep you informed as much as I can”

“Down Sullivan” Clint ended the call he needed to keep his full attention on following them and not getting made. He figured that he wouldn’t stay unnoticed for long if Brock was as good as Steve said.

#  ~*~

Bucky kept his eyes fixed on the mirror, now he was certain that the black fiat was following them. He just wasn’t sure since when, he just hoped that it was one of Steve’s friends, he was certain that Brock hadn’t figured it out yet but it wouldn’t be a long while for him to figure it out, he needed to keep Brock occupied and divert his attention from the car that kept a safe distance behind them and made an occasional around the block turn and reappeared behind them minutes later.

“In order to see how my hand works they’ll kill me, you know that right? The process will kill me or leave me brain dead” Bucky muttered hoping that getting Brock talking would keep his attention on him and not on whoever it was that was following them.

“This isn’t just about your arm and they won’t kill you” Brock muttered and kept his eyes fixed on the road.

“How long were you planning this?” Bucky asked knowing all too well that he started going down a road that was going to be painful for him, he knew that Brock probably planned this a while ago and probably didn’t care about him never but it’d be another thing to hear it straight from him.

“A little after Tony gave you the arm. They won’t kill you, it’s just one operation to find out how the arm works and after that they’re offering you work. They need a team with our skillset” Brock said and Bucky couldn’t believe what he was hearing from a man that he loved at one point.

“Do you hear yourself right now?” Bucky almost shouted at him frustrated with everything.

“Think James it’s great money and we’ve been a great team, we can do this again” Brock shouted back at him.

“What the hell does a bioengineering company want with two people like us?” Bucky asked knowing that maybe whatever intel he could gather would prove useful if the others got to him in time.

“Play nice with me Winter and maybe I’ll tell you”

#  ~*~

“Will you slow down? I found you unconscious a couple of minutes ago, what are you looking for?” Thor asked frustrated at his friend for not explaining the situation to him and what exactly had happened, since Steve came around he run to the living room grabbing his laptop and mattering things every once in a while.

“Tony Stark. Call Natasha and tell her to bring him in.” Steve said and kept on writing on his computer.

“What does he have to do with what’s happening right now?” Thor retorted at him confused.

“He can find him. Don’t stand around and call her” Steve shouted back at him.

“What are you doing? Steve talk to me” Thor said and came to sit beside him taking the laptop away from Steve’s hands.

“I want to know how that asshole got inside my house. That fucking dick it’s been playing a loop. Thor call Natasha right now, he’ll kill him” Steve said and Thor didn’t need to hear it again and pulled out his phone and dialed Natasha.

“Natalia get someone to bring Tony at the station. Steve says he can help find Bucky”

“I don’t know right now…”

“Ok we’re coming” Thor said and ended the call.

“She says to come in” Thor continued and waited for Steve’s reaction which for a minute he thought would be a flying laptop aiming for his head.

“Okay just give me a couple of minutes to go change, wash my face or something”

#  ~*~

“We’re here” Brock said as he pulled to what looked to Bucky like a five star hotel, but he had reached a point where nothing really surprised him when it came to Brock. Brock got a knife out of his belt and cut off his ties.

“Will you play nice Winter?” Brock asked with that tone that one time used to make Bucky have goose bumps. Bucky weighed his options and decided that it was in his best interest to play along if it meant keeping Steve and his friends safe he was willing to do anything since he had lost the black fiat a couple of blocks back, so his last flicker of hope was lost with that car. Bucky nodded back to Brock and didn’t even try to fight his way out of the car since they were on a busy street chances were someone would help him out but even if they did help him that wouldn’t guarantee the people Brock worked for wouldn’t hurt Steve and his friends.

“Good boy” Brock answered him smirking and got his hand to the back of Bucky’s neck and squeezed a little and Bucky fought the instinct to cringe away from his touch, instead he pushed himself to lean into it. Brock smirked and got out of the car and opened Bucky’s door. Bucky got out and waited for Brock to give him any kind of direction. Brock gripped his hand and started walking towards the entrance of the hotel were a man dressed in a suit waited. Bucky looked up and noticed the name of the hotel “Red Room” not that at this point it’d help him somehow. 

The man in the suit nods at Brock and passes him a card. They get inside and walk straight towards the elevators that were on their left and Bucky followed Brock to the second elevator from the right. He thought that it at least wouldn’t hurt to try and memorize everything. They get inside the elevator and Brock pushes a sequence of buttons starting with the one that got them to the second basement but he couldn’t see the other ones since Brock’s back covered his hand movements. After Brock finished he turned to face him and Bucky felt the elevator starting to move downwards, so they were going to a basement.

#  ~*~

“Do I sound like I care right now?” Clint screamed and got even angrier as people around him turned to stare at him.

“What the fuck are you looking at? Move it along!” Clint shouted at the woman staring at him and she hurried away from him and all the other people staring continued with their businesses.

“Fire me for insubordination when I get back because until you get a team with a warrant here it might be too late. Get that warrant I’m going in to catch them red handed and we can close this fucking thing once and for all.” Clint shouted and ended the call and started walking as casually as he could towards the hotel. He noticed two armed guards at the front entrance and a couple of people around the parking lot of the hotel that were surely part of the security. So trying to sneak in through the front door was probably not going to work. Clint backed away and started walking back towards the car that he had parked a couple of blocks back.

Once he was sure that he wasn’t going to be noticed from the security he started running towards his car shouting at people to get out of his way. He reached his car and got his bow and quiver that he had inside a gym bag and for good measure a belt that had two guns and three knives on it.

He started walking back to the hotel and started looking at the building around it and decided upon what looked like company offices he took out his police badge and walked towards the guard that was outside the front door.

“I need to use your rooftop” Clint said smiling.

#  ~*~

“They could be fuckin killing him right now” Steve shouted at Natasha and she looked at him with her usual poised expression.

“Clint is there and going in right now. If we walk in there guns blazing they will for sure kill him and we don’t want to do that” Natasha said as her phone rung and she picked up the call. Steve studied her as she listened intently to whoever it was on the phone.

“No you listen to me. You know I can get them one way or another so the choice is yours right now. Have your name involved with the arrest as the person that helped bring down one of the largest international organ trafficking company or have it involved as the person that knew what was going on and did nothing” Natasha almost spat back at the judge on the phone and waited for an answer Steve thought that probably it was a satisfactory one since she closed the phone without shouting.

“Let’s go get your Bucky and make sure Clint doesn’t get his fuckin head blown off” Natasha said and got off her chair and grabbed her black leather jacket from the back of her chair.

#  ~*~

“So they’re gonna come in and discuss with you the process of your surgery and what they’re going to do. After you wake up and are cohesive we’re going to start talking details about the team and what we’re going to be doing. Understood?” Brock said and Bucky nodded back at him, he found that it was easier for him to nod along and not utter a word to Brock.

“Talk to me Winter” Brock said again and fell to his knees in front of Bucky, who thought that if he wasn’t handcuffed with chains on his arms and legs to the wall and didn’t have a collar that had metal spikes around the inside of it around his neck he’d have bitten Brock’s head off.

“Ok I understand” Bucky muttered and saw Brock get up and take a muzzle from a nearby table that he knew all too well from the days they used to work together and locked it around his mouth.

The door flew open and five men wearing white robes got inside and Bucky felt the panic start to creep around his mind.

“Sedate him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to play along with timeline and with having a lot of different things happen in the same time in this chapter.  
> Please please tell me your opinion about it!!!!


	8. The X Factor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rectus femoris is the muscle in the center of your thigh, you'll get why i'm explaining this from the start.  
> So a lovely reader by the username Nika commented on chapter 7 that they wanted to see from Brock's pov, so i took their advice and in this chapter you have a part from Brock's pov which i had a little too much fun writing, because i adore Brock as a villain his character is really interesting to me.  
> Nika thank you so much for the great idea!!!!  
> WARNINGS as always read the tags and because there's something happening that i'm not sure if i'm tagging it correctly let me explain, there's a kind of graphic description of a head surgery towards the end of the chapter, please if this is something that's not for you please do not read it!!!!

“Call him again” Natasha shouted keeping her eyes fixed on the road and Steve redialed hoping that Clint would answer this time and not let it go straight to voicemail.

“What the fuck do you want I’m about to jump off a building to save your stupid boyfriend. You can thank me by making me the best man ok?” Clint shouted through the speaker and Steve from the corner of his eye saw Natasha smirking but brushed both Clint and Natasha’s reaction off because they were on a tight schedule and in a life and death situation.

“Tasha, is he blushing yet or what?” Clint’s voice came through again and Steve could visualize his grin.

“Clint focus, we’re five minutes out. We’re coming in with my car and Thor with Loki are two minutes out they’re coming in with the motorcycle. We’re gonna come in with a warrant and we’re going to need you to create a diversion so not every single person in there is watching us. Can you do that? I’ve already called for a swat team to come assist us. Can you create the diversion while Steve searches around?” Natasha said and waited for an answer.

“I’m ready to jump to their rooftop. So I guess it’d take them like five minutes max to find me so how far out are you?” Clint asked.

“We’re pulling up to the restaurant across the street of the hotel” Natasha answered him as she parked.

“Start counting, don’t forget to come get me too” Clint said and ended the call.

“Let’s go” Natasha said and got out of the car and Steve followed her feeling his heart race a little. He had done missions more dangerous than this one but somehow it felt different.

“You’re late” Loki snorted to them, Steve was indifferent to that man he neither liked nor hated him. He didn’t look like much long black hair and piercing green eyes, he was Thor’s adopted brother and a black ops swat team leader. Steve didn’t enjoy his presence but in difficult situations he wanted him by his side because if needed he could be really vicious to a point where it was a running joke amongst all of them that if they angered him he’d probably kill them in their sleep and Loki was all about encouraging the joke both with words and with his behavior.

“Fuck you too Loki” Natasha retorted back smirking and Loki smiled nodding back at her.

“My people are here, we say the word they come in” Loki continued.

“Ok then, we go through the front, as we stall them Steve goes through the back. We search this thing top to bottom they have Bucky in there and they’re probably going to get Clint as well. We get them out and we arrest every single person in there. I’ve got three vans coming in fifteen minutes let’s go” Steve nodded back at Nat and waited for them to go through the front gate to make his move.

#  **~*~**

#  **3 Minutes Earlier**

“Crossbones there’s a guy coming in from the roof” Brock turned rapidly around from the monitors he was examining to look at the camera feed the person was telling him about, whose name he didn’t care to know. He studied the man, going cautiously through the corridors and placing small explosives at every other door he found. 

“Danny, there’s a man on the twenty fifth floor putting explosives at doors, disable them and leave that asshole to me” Brock said through the microphone that connected him to the office of the explosives expert. He activated his com from his computer and grabbed his weapons from the corner of the desk where he had left them.

“I’m gonna deal with him, anything else that comes up tell me” he snarled at the rest of the team that was in the room with him and got out slamming the door behind him. He walked towards the elevator and pushed the button to call it. He got in and pushed the button for the twenty fifth floor. He could easily get his revenge for the shot that incapacitated him momentarily, his men managed to take several pictures from the man that shot him. He had searched and asked around and found out who he was. Former carnie, now a decorated police officer under the command of Natalia Alianovna Romanoff the famous black widow, friends with Thor Odinson and acquaintances with his brother Loki and really good friends with the one and only transporter Steve Rogers.

He could easily get his revenge and kill Clint but it was way too easy. He had other plans in mind, he knew all too well how a police strategist would work, send in someone for distraction and come in through the front door claiming to have a warrant and sent someone through the back. In this case it was going to be Rogers. 

The elevator doors opened and he came face to face with Clint. He couldn’t help but smirk because it’s one thing being the distraction but having zero sense of self preservation and generally speaking common sense to at least hide just a little bit from the fucking elevator.

“Hi there, so I got lost on my way to the bathroom. Any chance you know where it is?” Brock honestly would have laughed if the other man hadn’t shot him and wasn’t there to take James away from him. He pulled a throwing knife from his belt and threw it straight at the man’s neck. The man deflected the knife with the bow he was holding and Brock saw an opening pulled his gun and fired at the other man’s right thigh. He grinned as the man tried to push through the pain of having a hole split through his rectus femoris and not fall to the floor from the pain.

“Fuck, ok you win. Let’s see how you repair this” Brock heard the man with a big grin on his face because probably this was his grand finale of setting off the fireworks, but he had faith in Danny and the fact that he’d have already disarmed everything by now. He saw Clint pulling out a button, that he guessed was the trigger, and pushing it. Brock didn’t suppress his laughter this time.

“You really thought your cheap tricks are going to work on me again?” he said and approached him still laughing and pulled out his gun again and hit Clint with the handle making him pass out.

“Steve has gotten in from the back and there are several people in the front with a search warrant. What do we do?”

“Stall them as much as you can and inform me when they’re done operating on James. Steve is mine”

“He’s on the ground floor entering through the kitchen as we speak”

“Ok start locking doors and lead him to the back elevators I’m going to wait for him there. Get a team up here right now and get Clint downstairs with James and strap him to a chair.”

Brock moved the passed out man around and got the quiver off of his back and picked up the bow that was left on the floor. He put the quiver on his back and got in the elevator. He pushed the zero button to get to the ground floor. He got out an arrow from the quiver and armed the bow. The elevator doors opened and Brock got cautiously out from the elevator checking his perimeter.

This one is more cautious than the archer, but still every single one of them was going to lose, nobody was getting James away from him again and messing up his chance at the amount of money he was going to get once the operation was done, and especially the amount of money that followed once he and James got to doing their four assignments.

“He’s on your left” a voice came through the intercom and Brock smirked. He fired the arrow to nowhere in specific, he just wanted to see the reaction he’d get out of Steve, because he would for sure know the arrows his friend used.

The arrow was answered back with gun fire from a semi-automatic. Interesting if the arrow got a rise out of him he shouldn’t be that hard to win against, he just had to get the emotional upper hand on him and he knew just how.

“You know James is being operated on as we speak” Brock shouted smirking, that ought to bring Steve out of hiding in the corridor. He needed to bring him out in order to lead him where he wanted.  
Gun fire erupted again through the air and Brock ducked behind the wall and heard running footsteps coming straight at him.

“Lead us to the operating room” Brock said under his breath but he was sure they heard him on the operations office, he got a knife out and threw it at a ferocious Steve who ducked and the knife got stuck to the wall behind him.

Brock easily ducked and blocked every hit Steve tried to land on him and managed to get quite a lot of punches on the man’s stomach and face. He pushed Steve back getting just enough distance between them to land a roundkick on his face setting him off balance.

“You know he didn’t even fight. He was so willing every step of the way here. He didn’t fight me when I undressed him and chained him to a wall.” Steve lunged towards him again landing after what seemed like forever a punch to his ribs that didn’t even face him since he wore body armor.

“He pleaded me down on his knees when he saw the doctors, he even cried when they drugged him. It was just like when I was at the hospital with him the first time he got fucked up.” Brock continued trying to put as much poison as he could to his words and pushed Steve back inside the elevator. Steve continued to go at him like a rabid dog and finally managing to land a few hits.

“I am going to kill you” Steve snarled and Brock smiled at him, this was too easy, he had the man where he wanted.

“Fourth basement” he said and the elevator started moving downwards. Steve pulled out a knife and lunged at him again, Brock easily deflected his by ducking to the right and gripping his hand and breaking it getting the knife, he turned easily around and plunged the knife to Steve’s shoulder with a grin.

“I’m taking you to see him right now” Brock said as the elevator doors opened and got out dragging Steve from the back of the neck out of the elevator and throwing him in front of the glass wall of the operating room. He laughed watching him pale and drop to his knees.

Brock turned rapidly around pulling the gun he had on his thigh hostler as he heard the elevator doors of the second elevator open.

“What’s happening talk to me” he shouted waiting for an answer from his intercom.

#  **~*~**

Steve felt like he was about to puke from the sight that greeted him. Bucky was on an operating table with his head half saved from the left side. Steve could see the open incision with several wires going inside his cranium and doctors working around him. Steve hadn’t noticed what was happening behind him he had zeroed in on what was happening in front of him. He didn’t hear the distant voice that called for him. He got out of his trance as a hand grabbed his shoulder, he turned around to see Natasha beside him. She was saying something to him but he couldn’t understand. He nudged her hand away and got up pulled a knife out of his belt and started walking towards a group of people that were holding down Brock. Steve grabbed him by the neck and slammed him to the nearest wall placing his knife to the other man’s throat.

“Kill me or the doctors and he dies” Brock grunted smiling. Steve placed the knife firmer to his throat and felt blood trickle down his hand and firm hands grabbing him and pulling him away. He tried to fight them but decided to surrender.

“We need med evac and bring down Tony” Steve heard someone say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of tried to get into the mind of Brock and write his feelings or lack of them. I hope you enjoyed it as much as i did writing from his pov. To clarify something also there will be no memory altering/wiping!!! Tell me your thoughts ?  
> Also i have zero medical knowledge so if something is wrong or out of place or can't happen please tell me so that i can change it, i also have zero knowledge of architecture and constructions in general so if anything in that department seems out of place too please let me know.


	9. The Doctors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And i'm not dead so here's a little mini update, hope you enjoy it !!!! Leave me your thoughts on the comments !

Steve couldn’t register what was happening around him, his entire being was focused on Bucky lying on the operating table unconscious. He heard footsteps and people talking and someone trying to say something to him but he couldn’t avert his gaze. A million questions were going through his head, what if they couldn’t get a doctor capable enough to see what the others did to him, what happened and Bucky ended up on that table, did they hurt him, did he fight them and the worst question of them all what if he doesn’t make it.

He noticed people rushing in and out of the room, people arguing and he couldn’t believe that they were wasting so much time and Bucky might die at any second, he didn’t know much about brain surgeries but he understood enough to know that it wasn’t a walk in the park and even the simplest procedure could still be dangerous. He felt someone nudge at his shoulder and not get the point to stop when he didn’t turn to look at whoever it was so he decided to turn around.

“I need to know if they changed any of the wires that go inside his scull” Tony almost shouted at him.

“I don’t think so” Steve muttered thinking about what he saw as he was the first person to get to the room.

“I need you to do better than that Rogers. Did they change anything?” Tony retorted back at him and Steve suppressed the urge to punch him in the face as he was probably the only person that could be able to help.

“No they didn’t change anything” Steve answered with certainty and saw Tony pull out his phone and dial a number.

“Get your sister and the proper equipment.”

“It’s Barnes, on field operation he’s under right now” Tony continued and ended the call. Steve looked at him confused as he saw that several other doctors had responded on the med evac.

“Anyone that is not a cardiologist or an anesthesiologist get the fuck out of the room” Tony shouted as he got inside the operating room and Steve saw that several people were reluctant to follow his command and without giving it a second thought he walked into the operating room too.

“You heard him, get the fuck out” he shouted pouring all of his frustration in that sentence and noticed people hurrying to get out. Three people that he didn’t know remained in the room and Tony.

“You need to get out, go at the station, go to your house wherever you want but you can’t stay here, there’s nothing you can do” Tony said and Steve couldn’t see a reason to argue with him after all Tony was the one that could actually do something for Bucky right now, so he nodded and walked out of the room. As he walked out a man with almost white hair and a brunette woman dressed in white robes and pushing two big containers were coming towards the room and Steve stood in front of the door, he didn’t know who they were but he’ll be damned if he let anyone mess with whatever it was Tony and the others were doing inside the room.

“We’re with Tony” the man said and Steve turned around to see Tony doing a thumps up to him so he let them pass through.

“Steve let’s go” Thor said coming to stand beside Steve, who felt the need to argue just out of pure anger with the entire situation, he had been around a lot of people and witnessed a lot of things but this was new territory to him, but Tony was right there was nothing more he could do here so he nodded back to Thor.

“We can go babysit Clint for a bit they roughed him up pretty good” Thor continued as they walked outside to the parking lot.

“What did they do to him?” Steve answered feeling guilty that he didn’t have the state of mind to check up on his friend.

“The big problem is the bullet wound on his thigh I think”

“I should have killed him”

“No, you shouldn’t have, what good would it do? James would not magically wake up and be alright nor would Clint’s thigh muscle be any less torn. What is it with you people turning everything into your fault, it’s an incredible ability if I’m honest I mean in a situation where you are not possibly to blame you manage to make it sound like it’s your fault. You, Clint, Natalia and do not get me started on Bruce and if I’m correct our new friend is the exact same way as you lot. Now get in the car.” Thor retorted angrily at Steve, who got in without a second thought.

#  ~*~ 

“You asshole are going to be driving me back and forth from doctors and physical therapy and everything until I’m able to kick your ass with my leg literally. Also stop being like this, your boyfriend will be good as new in no time” Steve was honestly surprised that Clint had so much energy left after he woke up from his surgery. Thor and himself had kept him company through some tests and they were now all resting in the room Clint was in.

“I should be the one brooding over you know I got a whole in my leg” Clint continued on and Steve honestly loved him at that moment more because he was always the guy to help everyone through their tough times sometimes even forgetting his own problems he always tried to make everyone see the positive side in every situation.

“They did patch that up in surgery you know” Thor remarked smirking.

“You are not helping here. Steve honestly he’ll make it through and if he decides to testify in court we’re also going to nail them” Clint said as the door opened and the girl that responded to Stark’s call came in without bothering to knock.

“I’m doctor Maximoff and I’m here to inform you on Barnes’s situation.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter is going to be an extra large one (for like my standards, for other people it might be small, i don't know we'll see)  
> Also it won't take me this long to update as it did for this chapter.


	10. The Release from The Hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It didn't feel right to me to post everything in one chapter so i'm going to make this story into 11 chapters. I know i said other things in the last chapter but i want it to feel right and it didn't feel right to me, i also need to figure out some things at the end because i didn't want to rush it. I hope you enjoy it and feel free to yell at me at the comments for going back at what i said. I'm still going to finish the story though. Final chapter 11 will be coming up.

“There’s no way to determine for sure how his memory will be after this but other than that he’s gonna make a full recovery. We are going to be rushing up the process of waking him up to determine exactly how the procedure has affected his memory.” The young doctor kept talking but all Steve could hear was that he was going to make a full recovery and the fact that they couldn’t determine how it would affect his memory. What if he forgot everything that happened? Was it better for him to forget what happened?

“Steve?” Clint shouted and Steve snapped his head to look at him.

“The doctor asked you if you would like to be in the room when Bucky wakes up, so that he doesn’t panic” Clint said and Steve felt thankful yet again for having friends sto save him from awkward situations.

“Yeah sure, when are you going to wake him up?” Steve asked.

“The process has already started so if you’d kindly follow me that would be great. My brother will come up in fifteen minutes to check up on you.” The doctor said looking at Clint who had a smirk on his face, a bit of information that Steve filed away in order to tease Clint later.

“Follow me mister Rogers” Steve didn’t need to be told a second time to follow her out of the room. They walked down a hallway in silence and entered an elevator. Steve saw the doctor push a button to get at the second level of the basement. 

“When he wakes up he will panic, I need you to find a way to reassure him that he’s in a safe space and to let us examine him. Do you understand me?” Steve nodded back at her and felt his heartbeat rise from the anxiety, he hadn’t gotten anxious in a while and the feeling felt foreign to him but he needed to find it in himself to put that aside for now. The elevator door opened to another hallway and they started walking, Steve heard a noise and saw doctor Maximoff start running towards a room at the end of the hallway and sprinted off behind her.

“Get the fuck away from me” Steve heard the yell as he entered the room, he saw a nurse landing on a table with tools and falling on the ground flat on her back.

“How did this happen?” doctor Maximoff barked at another nurse who looked terrified.

“I gave the exact dosage that you instructed but he woke up ten minutes before the estimated time, I don’t know what happened. He started yelling and lashing out at everyone who tried to touch him. Doctor Strange went to the other room to stitch up his head which he cracked open to the wall over there. I don’t know what to do.” Steve let them talk and walked over where Bucky could see him.

“Hey” Steve muttered waiting to see his response.

“Did they get you?” Bucky muttered and raised a hand.

“Stop it right there. Do not under any circumstances rub that” doctor Maximoff yelled shoving aside the startled nurse and grabbing Bucky’s hand an inch before he reached his head.

“Let go of me” Bucky muttered under gritted teeth not looking at her.

“Do not scratch your head. Mister Barnes you are in a safe space, we’re at my hospital, there’s no need to be alarmed, we stitched up your injuries and now you’re in recovery, mister Rogers is here to see you nobody has gotten anybody” 

“Get out” Bucky said turning to look at her.

“What?” doctor Maximoff asked.

“Get your nurses and yourself out of the room and let Steve stay here with me” Bucky retorted back at her.

“Of course, everyone please give them the room” at her note everyone started methodically clearing out the room and in under a minute everyone was out.

“Why didn’t you just leave me? You could have gotten on with your life like nothing ever happened.” Bucky said and Steve couldn’t believe what he was hearing after everything that happened.

“You happened” Steve muttered.

“What?”

“You happened. You matter, I couldn’t leave you to them” Steve said thinking that maybe he could have chosen his words more carefully, maybe this wasn’t what he should say to him right now.

“You’ve known me for more or less a day I can’t matter” Bucky retorted back.

“You matter” Steve repeated and thought that maybe he shouldn’t agitate him but he couldn’t say anything else.

“Did anyone get hurt?” Bucky barked back at him but Steve didn’t answer all caught up in the thought of how can Bucky think so little of himself.

“Answer my question, when you were being stupid did anyone get hurt?” that snapped Steve out of his thoughts.

“I didn’t force anyone to help me, and they are going to make a full recovery” Steve answered.

“WHO IS IT?” Bucky shouted at him and the door burst open revealing a very irritated doctor Maximoff.

“Ok that is it Steve out, we cannot have him agitated” she told him and grabbed him by the arm to escort him out of the room.

“It’s Clint he’s going to be ok, just a shot at his thigh, he’s upstairs probably hitting on her brother” Steve said and followed doctor Maximoff out of the room.

“We are going to have some tests and I will inform you of the progress and what is happening go back up with the others”

#  ~*~ 

#  **5 MONTHS LATER**

“I think you’re well enough to leave the hospital, you will be required to come back once a week for us to check your progress. Your release papers are being filled in as we speak by doctor Wanda. Is there anyone you’d like to call to come pick you up?” Bucky eyed the doctor standing in front of him, doctor Strange, he had been assisting on his recovery and from what he had been informed was basically the person that when it came to it saved his life. The time he lashed out on Steve was the last time he had seen him. He had been informed that Steve had been there asking to see him but Bucky had refused every single time hoping that Steve would finally get it and move on.

“I’m extremely bored by your attitude the last five months, you’re proving yourself to be more of an asshole than I am, which believe me says a lot. I was just asking to maybe see if there was a chance that you’d have come to your senses by now but apparently that is not the case. Steve is outside waiting for you.” doctor Stephen retorted back to him and Bucky couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

“How?” Bucky muttered searching for words to express his astonishment that Steve still was here for him.

“Really? The guy hasn’t left the hospital for five months, except like six times, he was waiting for when you sorry excuse of a person would decide to finally let him see you. You have accepted visitation from everyone but not him. And believe me if your blood pressure didn’t worry us I would have let him in like the second time he came around asking for you” Stephen barked back at him and Bucky was getting irritated by his behavior because this whole thing was him trying to get Steve to leave him alone. He decided after a meeting with Natasha to testify in court against HYDRA and Brock but he wanted Steve out of this and he had managed to get Natasha to agree to leave him out of the case. 

“I promise that I won’t intrude and it would be just until they clear you to be able to live alone without observation” Bucky looked towards a voice that felt all too familiar to him came from and saw Steve leaning against the doorframe of the room.

“Come with me?” Steve muttered again and Bucky couldn’t help himself when he nodded back a silent yes at him.

“I brought you some clothes” Steve continued and Bucky looked at the bag he held.

“Ok, can you please leave the room so I can get dressed?” Bucky said and Steve walked towards the bed where he was laying and left the bag at the end of the bed and walked outside the room with doctor Strange following him.

Bucky sat up and eyed the bag he opened it and saw a pair of black sweat pants, a dark grey hoody and a pair of sneaker with socks. Everything seemed brand new. He got up with a grant and started undressing himself from the hospital garments that seemed to have become second skin by now.

He took a glimpse at himself on the full body mirror, he seemed so different, most of the wounds on his body were healed leaving behind scars, lots of them Bucky thought and all of them seemed really irritated. His eyes darted up his torso and he finally took a moment to notice his face. There were bags under his eyes from all the sleepless nights he had being tormented by killer migraines or nightmares. He had agreed to see a psychiatrist but the nightmares just never seemed to stop. His eyes then focused on his half saved head which was kept like that because they kept close monitor to how the wound from the surgery healed, it had left behind two really big scars one of them almost went out to the corner of his eye. All things considered this was an interesting look, he thought and huffed a sorry excuse of a laugh to himself thinking that this was probably something his sister would say if she could see him like this.

He brushed the thought of his sister out of his mind and started getting dressed, when he noticed that the hoody had a zipper in the front he felt a little warmth at the thought that Steve considered the fact that he couldn’t chance to pass anything from his head especially when he dressed himself alone without the help of another person.

He slipped into the sneakers, went to open the door and found only Steve waiting for him outside.

“I’m done, where’s Strange?” Bucky muttered.

“He went upstairs. Wanda informed me of everything so if you don’t have any questions for them we can go” Steve answered.

“Let’s just go”

The drive back to Steve’s place was made in silence. Bucky thought of what he could say to Steve all the way to his house, a lot of things came to his mind but he didn’t utter a word to him. The car came to a stop and Bucky got startled because he was so lost in thought that he hadn’t realized they were inside the garage of Steve’s house.

Before he had time to react Steve was out the driver’s door and run to his side to open his door and he reached out a cautious hand and kept his palm out waiting. Bucky looked at him did he seriously offer to help him out of the car?

Bucky still grabbed his hand to get out and almost smiled back at Steve’s warm smile. He found himself not wanting to let go of his arm. They went inside the house and Steve walked Bucky all the way to the couch and helped him sit down.

“Thank you” Bucky muttered under gritted teeth and grabbed Steve’s arm as he was about to let go.

“What?” Steve asked and Bucky almost got irritated that Steve was making him say it again, but he noticed his expression, he actually didn’t catch what he had said.

“Thank you” Bucky repeated louder this time and Steve smiled at him.

“I’m glad you’re ok” Steve answered.

“Sit back and relax maybe watch some tv I’m gonna go get started on some chicken soup and I’ll be right back” Steve continued, gave Bucky the remote and disappeared into the kitchen.

Bucky pressed a random button and the tv opened to a close up of Brock and Bucky felt his heart drop.

“The trial of HYDRA is set to begin on Monday and their team of lawyers is feeling really optimistic of the outcome since most of the evidence was obtained in more than questionable ways” Bucky felt his heartbeat in his temples, Monday, he knew this was coming, he had talked about it with Natasha, but now this felt more than final, he had six days to prepare with the lawyers.

Bucky didn’t notice Steve come back from the kitchen and he didn’t notice him taking away the remote from his hand and changing the channel to a mickey mouse cartoon, his mind was stuck to the image he saw of Brock laughing maniacally at a reporter that asked him about his chances on the case.

“Bucky it’s gonna be ok” Steve muttered and Bucky snapped his head back at him.

“I’m scared” Bucky murmured back at Steve.

“We can end this” Steve said and Bucky just for a moment let himself try to believe Steve as he let his head fall to Steve’s shoulder letting out a sob he didn’t know he was holding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you are enjoying reading the fic even if it took me a while to post because at the start of 2017 i managed to get all the flues.  
> I really want to hear your thoughts.


	11. The Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It will be ok  
> It will be ok  
> It will be ok

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: i have no knowledge of how a trial like this is supposed to be run, i am not a lawyer nor do i know one in order to get information about this and you might say search using google, well it confused me, so please be kind if i made any mistakes and feel free to point them out in the comments so i can learn some new things.  
> I am really sorry for taking this long i hope you enjoy it and i hope it was worth the wait and i hope you have fun reading it!!!  
> Thank you for being patient with me !!!

It will be ok 

It will be ok 

It will be ok

Everything is going to be ok

Bucky has been repeating this in his mind ever since they’d gotten to the court, he had lost count how many hours ago that was. They’ve kept him in a room that they’ve told him was secure until they needed him to testify, he dreaded that part, even after the countless hours of preparation he dreaded it. Natasha had decided that it be best that Tony’s team of lawyers should handle this and as Tony said they had gotten him out of more weird situations than what they were facing, Bucky knew he was joking trying to lighten the mood but it made him even more worried because he knew they were starting a war with some really dangerous people. He just didn’t want any of this to come back to the people that helped him and gave him a second chance, especially to Steve.

“Mister Barnes, mister Barnes please do pay attention” Bucky tried to tune away his thoughts and focus at the man who almost yelled in his face.

“It’s a really tough situation we have going on but I believe we can win this with your statement, due to the nature of your involvement in the case I’ve asked the judge permission to ask you if you’re willing to testify in open court or if you want to do this in a secure room alone with me and have it livestreamed in the court room.” The man said and waited for his answer.

“I can do that?” Bucky asked because before all this he had no idea how trials worked.

“Of course, if you want to, but if we’re being honest here our chances will be a whole lot better if you’re willing to testify in the courtroom”

“No” Steve said from the corner of the room where he was sitting and checking his phone nonstop, Steve had been with him waiting patiently all this time in the little office they’d been waiting for the time to come when Bucky would need to testify.

“Mister Rogers I’m really sorry but you have no idea about how a case like this can be won in court” the man barked back at Steve, and Bucky was honestly impressed with Matt, not everyone had the courage to talk like that to Steve, Matt seemed a really patient and quiet man, he was always willing to listen and give everyone the time they needed to put the files, the evidence and the testimonies together and had worked day and night with him to prepare him for court and to prepare everything at a really short amount of time. As the head of the team Bucky thought that maybe he’d leave everything to his two colleagues and just read over everything later and make some minor changes but it seemed like he checked everything a billion times and worked tirelessly with them to make sure they were going to win this.

“As I was saying mister Barnes, it may as well win us the case if you’re willing to testify in the courtroom, listen, we’ve prepared for this and I was a lot more ruthless and aggressive with you than what they’ll be. I need you to stay focused no matter what they ask, take a moment to control yourself and answer, if you do not understand a question you have the right to ask them to repeat it again using different words and explain it more to you. Remember they will hit you with everything they have and considering the nature of the case and the judge nothing is off limits. Do you understand everything I just said mister Barnes?”

Bucky nodded back at him an ok because it was a lot of information to take in, he knew what he got into, they had prepared during long hours into the night, they’ve gone through every possible question that may be asked, questions that hurt, questions that he didn’t want to be asked by anyone but he had pushed through and answered, he had moments when he lashed out at everyone, he had moments he smashed some mugs, at one point he had punched a hole through a wall but Matt and the others reassured him that it’s better that these things happen here between them than in open court.

At one point Bucky had told everyone to get out of the room and said some things to Matt that he didn’t want anyone to hear about not at that moment, he knew that probably everything would come out in the open at the trial but if he could just avoid it for a few more days he would.

“Mister Barnes one last thing. Do not plead the fifth at any point no matter what they ask, do not plead the fifth, if I deem it necessary we are going to object but you need to be willing to answer everything”

“Ok” Bucky said even though he felt a kind of fear that he hadn’t in quite a while. He knew at one point some stuff from his past would come back and now he was facing that time.

“How long do we have until we have to go back?” Bucky asked.

“We have to go inside in two minutes not a second later everything counts” Matt answered.

“Ok can you give us a second alone please?” he asked hoping that Matt wouldn’t object.

“Of course” Matt said smiling back at him got up from his chair and opened his cane and excused himself closing the door behind him.

“Thank you” Bucky muttered under his breath turning to look at Steve.

“What?” Steve said as he looked up from his phone and stared at Bucky confused.

“I said thank you, I don’t know if I have said it all this time but thank you for helping me and for giving me a second chance” 

“There’s no need to thank me, you can do this, I’ll be right there with you the entire time, everyone will”

“You might hear…” Bucky tried to think of a way to tell Steve that he was probably going to hear and see some horrific things and he knew that they were going to have videos.

“Bucky you’re not going to be alone no matter what happens and trust me…” Steve was cut off by a knock on the door and Karen Matt’s associate who told them that they had to go right now.

“You can do this” Steve said again and Bucky was pulled into a hug that he didn’t know he needed, he let himself find much needed comfort in it but pushed Steve away when Karen coughed to get him to hurry.

Bucky followed close behind a stressed out Karen down an empty corridor and as she stopped behind a door he almost run into her. Karen stopped and looked at him from head to toe.

“Ok you look good, can I fix your tie?” Karen said and Bucky nodded a yes back at her, Matt had told him time and time again that no matter how shallow it sounded appearances were important.

“We are going to end this, remember our coaching” Karen said and looked him in the eyes with conviction and opened the door. The court room was full, this was going to be interesting. They had entered the courtroom from a side door as Matt had explained to him. He remembered not to look at anyone else and walk straight to where he was supposed to sit. He sat down at his place and waited, he saw people moving and saying stuff but it didn’t register to him, he felt his head buzzing.

Anxiety

Matt had warned him that it was going to happen he was going to feel fear, any sane person would, he said, now mute it out, we have prepared you for every possible thing they can throw at you.

“Sir?” he turned abruptly to his side to where the voice was coming from, great he had failed to hear the judge.

“Do you swear sir?” the judge asked again.

“I do” Bucky answered and remembered that Matt would probably be the one to ask him questions first and apparently he was as Bucky saw everyone else sit down and Matt stand up, when I stand up you are going to look at me, straight at me, you won’t look at anyone else and you will answer with a loud and clear voice, Bucky remembered Matt’s guidance and lifted his gaze to look at Matt.

Matt was ruthless with him, he hit him with questions that were one below the belt hit after the other, from his time at the military, to him coming back the entire procedure and recovery of getting his arm, his abduction, meeting Steve the plan they had with the police, everything. He had answered everything hearing the occasional gasp from the people sitting at the audience.

“Mister Barnes will you please tell me about the nature of your relationship with the man named Brock Rumlow” Matt asked and Bucky knew this was coming, he took in a deep breath and started talking.

“In the army and after I got back I was seeing him” Bucky muttered but he knew this wasn’t enough.

“Please elaborate” Matt continued and Bucky did.

“We were together romantically, he was the one that helped me get the arm and helped me through my recovery”

“He was also the one that sold you out to HYDRA”

“Objection, he’s leading the witness” Bucky turned abruptly to look at the other team of lawyers and the woman that spoke and that was when he saw Brock standing beside the woman staring straight at him smirking. Bucky turned back to look at Matt who seemed calm.

“Mister Murdock please” the judge said sternly.

“I will rephrase my question. Mister Barnes will you please narrate to us what happened once you reached the Red Room and how mister Rumlow presented to you the operation they were going to perform on you”

“The police got into the hotel without a warrant and do not get me started on the fact that it was private property, the excessive use of force when they had zero evidence backing up…” the woman started talking again but Matt cut her off.

“The man sitting here was kidnapped from the house of Steve Rogers, we have the footage. The police were notified that a man was taken into a property to get cut open against his will and he has the scars to prove that they did cut him open and the director deemed it necessary to send that many people, now can I continue your honor?” 

“Continue mister Murdock” the judge said.

“So if you please mister Barnes tell us what happened”

“He kept saying that the operation would not harm me and that after that they were offering us both a job, but I couldn’t believe him.”

“Do tell us why that is”

“Because of Stark, he kept boasting about how nobody can do what he does and that he was going to change the game in prosthetics”

“Will you please show us the prosthetic in question” Bucky stood up and pulled off his glove and his jacket and rolled up his sleeve exposing his arm.

“Thank you very much, will you please explain to us why is this arm different?” Matt continued.

“I have the same feeling with my flesh arm, it’s basically the same weight as my flesh arm and I can move it” Bucky said remembering that in questions that involved the arm it was best to keep it short and to the point.

“When you say you can move it what does that mean?” Matt asked

“I can move it the same way I can move my flesh arm, the arm is wired with my brain somehow, you can ask Tony for the specifics” Bucky said hoping that his answers were adequate.

“Thank you, now ladies and gentlemen you see why this man was scared to allow incapable men to perform brain surgery on him. Doctor Strange a quick question if you please to refresh our memory, the scarring on mister Barnes head, will you please tell us about the people that did it?”

“They are a disgrace to our profession” Bucky found the man in the audience.

“Ok thank you, one last question mister Barnes please tell us your last thoughts when you were coerced to go under surgery” Matt said and Bucky felt fear and anxiety hit him again.

“Objection, this isn’t a therapy session” the woman shouted again. 

“We’ve been here for almost nine hours and we all sat through your irrelevant questions now do humor me and let me ask my final question to my witness”

“Mister Murdock watch it you’re inside a courtroom and madam Reid the same goes for you. Mister Barnes please answer the question”

“I was ready to die” Bucky said and stopped.

“Mister Barnes will you please elaborate” Matt pressed on and Bucky felt his breath stop.

“What do you want me to say, I was ready to die that’s it. That is all there is, I was ready to die, I knew they were going to kill me, I just wanted everything to end. Good people were hurt because of me, people who were just trying to help me if I went away everything would just stop” Bucky sighed and hoped that someone would just say that this was enough, he didn’t want to say anything else.

“Mister Barnes thank you that is enough. Madam Reid do you have any questions for the witness?” The judge asked and the brunette woman stood up and walked over toward him.

Bucky answered everything, every single one for her repetitive and intrusive questions, Matt had told him to be extra careful with her, she was going to ask the same question using different wording in order to make him contradict himself, he said that she was known for that tactic, lawyers in general used it when they had no case and were trying to salvage whatever they could and especially her tended to do it a little bit too much. So Bucky answered every single one of her questions about his relationship with Rumlow, about his sex life with him, about his recovery, about how Rumlow rescued him back at the army so in her twisted logic that meant he actually cared and maybe at the time he did, who knows, but Bucky certainly didn’t care at the moment also Matt objected at the question and the judge allowed it. After that finally her questions ended and Bucky felt complete relief wash over him. That was it. It was done. He was escorted outside the courtroom and back to the little office.

After five minutes of waiting alone in the room he heard a knock on the door and turned to watch Clint come in and sit at a chair that stood in front of a little desk. Bucky couldn’t bring himself to sit down.

“What’s up?” Clint asked as he stretched his hands a bit and Bucky found himself smiling, Bucky may not know this man too well but it was obvious that he always knew what to say to make others feel at ease.

“Where are the others?” Bucky replied. 

“They probably have started making some phone calls to some people, I believe Nat right now is probably threatening the minister of justice, you won’t believe the dirt she has on him, anyway man it’s gonna be ok Murdock was a fuckin beast they’re gonna rule in our favor, these bastards will go to jail and Rumlow will rot in a cell for the rest of his miserable life” Clint said but Bucky felt scared if Rumlow was going to jail maybe they were going to put him in as well, he hadn’t been a saint when he was in the army.

“Relax they can’t charge you with what you did in the army, they can’t afford it, also Nat is going to offer you a job so you will contribute your skills to society and protect the little guy and all that” Clint continued and stretched out his arms.

“Is she really going to offer me a job?” Bucky replied because if he was being honest with himself he wasn’t expecting her to take the risk to hire him after all the publicity this trial had been getting and the way some media sources have been describing him.

“Yeah she will, after they finish deliberating and after we finish celebrating you’re going to go down at the station to discuss terms and all that, now sit down you’re making me nervous for no reason” Clint answered him with a reassuring smile and Bucky found himself believing that everything was going to turn out ok.

#  **~*~**

“It’s been three hours what the fuck?” Clint murmured and Bucky felt his head was going to burst from the stress and then the door burst open to reveal a smiling Steve.

“We won, please tell me we won” Clint asked.

“Yeah we won, they’re done and Brock will spent the rest of his days in a jail cell” Steve answered smiling at Bucky.

“Yeah yeah go hug your boyfriend, I’m gonna go now to draw the attention of the reporters so you can leave, I’ll see you back at your place right Steve?” Clint said as he got up and Steve nodded back to him, Bucky waited for Clint to shut the door behind him and walked up to Steve and hugged him.

“Thank you for giving me a chance, thank you so much” Bucky said and felt Steve push him back a bit.

“One of the best things I’ve ever done and stop it with the thank yous, now let’s go they’re going to be waiting for us” Steve said and reluctantly Bucky pulled away from him.

“How are we going to leave again? The place is probably going to be crawling with reporters” Bucky almost whispered as the exited the little office.

“We are leaving through the toilet windows on the ground floor” Steve said as they were going down the emergency exit staircase.

“I thought that when you said that you were joking” Bucky answered.

“Nope we’re leaving through there I have my audi outside with the tinted windows so I expect that nobody is going to notice us, also Clint and Matt will be talking to the reporters” Steve said and opened the door that laid from the staircase to the ground floor, he checked around and saw only a lady getting inside an office, the toilets where the last door down that hallway so they just had to get in there undetected. Bucky saw Steve motioning him to go and they started running to the door. Steve opened it and they got inside and saw a man washing his hands. Steve wasted no time and got behind the man and pulled both of his hands behind his back and slammed him against the wall.

“Get out, you saw nothing” Steve barked and shoved him outside and slammed the door behind him. Bucky saw one door of the stalls was closed and motioned to Steve who kicked it open. Bucky saw that nobody was in and felt relieved. Steve went to open the windows.

“Get the keys, if you see anyone waiting outside you run to the car, I have the route to the house programmed into the gps” Bucky nodded, got the keys and climbed up the window nobody was outside, he held his hand to help Steve up. They got outside without a problem and got into the car. Steve drove around the court and Bucky saw the entire front entrance of the court house crawling with reporters that had surrounded Clint, Natasha and Matt. After that Bucky dosed off exhaustion overwhelming him.

#  **~*~**

“Bucky wake up, we’re home” Bucky heard a voice, Steve and tried to will himself to wake up.

“Come on there are people waiting” Steve said again and nudged his shoulder a bit.

“Ok I’m up, sorry I was tired…” Bucky mumbled as he came around and noticed that they were still inside the car in Steve’s garage.

“It’s to be expected everyone is waiting inside to celebrate let’s go” Steve said and got out of the car and Bucky followed him inside the house where he found everyone waiting Clint, Natasha, Bruce, Thor, Tony, Matt, Karen, Foggy, even Loki.

“Please tell me you weren’t having sex” Clint shouted over everyone as soon as he noticed them and Bucky felt horrified he had put up with Clint’s little jokes over his relationship with Steve whatever that relationship may be, he knew he was kind of developing a crush on him but come on this was too much.

“No, we were not Clint, shut up” Steve shouted back at him.

“It took you guys long enough, she’s been going insane with waiting upstairs” Natasha said.

“Who is waiting upstairs?” Bucky asked confused everyone he knew was there.

“Rebecca come down he’s here” Loki shouted and Bucky felt his heart stop and turn to look at Steve who smiled at him and then he heard the footsteps on the stairs and saw her. He hadn’t seen her in years and yet he felt as if a day hadn’t passed since he hugged her goodbye before he left for his first mission, that was the last contact he had with her.

She came running towards him and almost jumped up to hug him, he wrapped his arms around her and felt scared, what was he going to say to her, was she going to hate him, was she going to be disgusted by what she heard he had gotten himself into? There were a billion questions going through his mind and all of them were making him even more scared.

“I’ve missed you so much stupid” she said in his ear as she still hugged him and Bucky felt relief wash over him.

“Are you ok now?” she asked as she got out of the hug but she kept her hands still on him.

“I will be” Bucky muttered because he knew that if he answered ok it was going to be a lie and he didn’t want to lie to her, he needed a lot of time to process everything that happened.

“You idiot, you need to tell me everything ok? I bet that if Steve here hadn’t contacted me you were never going to right?” Rebecca said a smile never leaving her face.

“No… it’s just that…” Bucky muttered unsure of how to continue he was going to contact her eventually but he didn’t know what to say.

“You are going to have to give him some time, he will tell you everything when he’s ready” Steve said from behind him.

“Rebecca you got to give me all the dirt on your big brother here, I am going to need every embarrassing story I can get” Clint came and whisked Rebecca away winking back at Bucky and Steve. 

“How did you find her?” Bucky asked Steve.

“Oh come on it will ruin the magic and please tell me I didn’t overstep here, I thought it would be a nice surprise” Steve muttered and Bucky actually saw him blush waiting for his answer.

“It was really nice. I just wasn’t expecting it” Bucky said and smiled at Steve.

“Ok, ok that’s good, can I …”

“What is it Steve?”

“Can I ask you …”

“Anything”

“Will you go out with me?” Steve asked and Bucky noticed the blush bloom in his cheeks.

“Go out with you?” Bucky was trying desperately not to make any assumption here maybe Steve meant something else.

“Go out on a date with me?” Steve muttered flustered.

“Yes” Bucky replied feeling himself blush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment away and tell me your thoughts, your feelings, your critique, parts you enjoyed and parts you didn't.  
> Thank you so much for reading this!!!

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.


End file.
